


All For The Best

by RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws



Series: We'll Have Tomorrow Series [2]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Dialogue, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Mutual Pining, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Steve Harrington Needs a Hug, Stranger Things 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-24
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26088133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws/pseuds/RedHoodieAndTheOutlaws
Summary: River and Hawthorne finally come back to Hawkins, hoping to spend the rest of the summer with their friends. Unfortunately, they get dragged back into saving the world again. This time, it might even be worse than the last.
Relationships: Nancy Wheeler/Jonathan Byers/Original Male Character(s), Robin Buckley/Original Female Character(s), Steve Harrington/Original Female Character(s)
Series: We'll Have Tomorrow Series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1894075
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the sequel to We'll Have Tomorrow, so if you haven't read that yet, be sure to check it out.

River and Hawthorne had been staying with their aunt and uncle for about a week now. Occasionally, El would try her best to check in on them, though it didn’t happen very often. As far as River could tell, El hadn’t ever tried using her powers from this far away, so it was probably for the best.

In the short time that they’d been in Sweden, mostly staying with their Uncle Feliks, they’d both done plenty of exploring. Their aunt, Anya, got herself a hotel not too far away so she could spend some time with them as well. And so far, it had been going amazingly well. 

Admittedly, River had been hesitant and a little scared that it wouldn’t, but those fears were quickly washed away. Feliks was probably the nicest person she’d ever met; not at all like her father despite them being brothers. And she’d quickly learned that they shared a lot of the same interests.

Then there was Marius. He was Feliks’s boyfriend, though they typically used the term “roommates” in public, which wasn’t exactly wrong. He was nice, too. Both of them had done a great job making her feel like she belonged, and for that, River was thankful. 

Anya had been just as welcoming, and she’d tried to take the time to drag them along places so they could explore together and spend some time. It was hard to believe that none of this was a dream. River hardly had any memories of either of them, but she already felt like she’d known them both forever. It was a nice feeling having some family that actually cared about them. 

Of course, they hadn’t planned to stay the whole summer, so it wasn’t too long before they were due to return. River found herself wondering what everyone else had been up to in the time they’d been gone. Hopefully it hadn’t gone to shit in that time, though she wouldn’t have been too surprised.

As fun as being with family had been, it was oddly nice to return to Hawkins. Sure, there was nothing particularly special about it, but maybe that was the appeal. After all, the town certainly had a different feel to it when you had some insight to how extraordinary of a place it was. 

Thankfully, River wasn’t too out of the loop thanks to El. She’d done a good job of keeping her in the know, especially about how Steve started a new job not too long ago. That just meant she’d have an opportunity to check out the new mall she’d heard a lot about. 

Naturally, River and Hawthorne had the foresight to meet with Hopper and fill him in on their trip.

By now, River could immediately tell something was going on. He was more than thrilled to see them again, but he also seemed much more chipper than usual. She preferred not probing anyone’s minds if she could truly avoid it, so she figured it would be better to ask outright. Maybe something great happened that she didn’t get to hear about.

“Has everything been okay over here while we were gone?” she asked, grabbing herself some soda from the fridge. 

The grin on Hopper’s face was unmistakable, and it almost concerned her, in all honesty.

“This is the first time all summer that Mike and El haven’t seen each other."

“What? Why?” She was shocked. They’d been pretty attached, and, last she saw, more than excited to see each other this summer.

Something had to have happened.

“Well, Joyce said to set boundaries, so I did,” Hopper explained, not making eye contact with her. Something about that didn’t seem right.

Hawthorne seemed to have the same thought process and asked, “What kind of boundaries?”

Hopper shrugged, seemingly trying to act nonchalant. “I pulled Mike aside and had a little chat with him.”

“Did you ‘have a chat’ or yell at him?” River asked. 

She knew he could be a bit intense every now and then, and she remembered how disgruntled he seemed about how much time they spent together.

“Look, what matters is that it worked,” he insisted. “I’m going to tell Joyce how it went here in a minute.” 

He was already throwing on his hat and grabbing his keys, so River let it go for now, but she worried about how El was holding up. She knew how much she seemed to like having Mike around. 

Not all that long after Hopper left, El came out of her room, Max trailing behind her. Not exactly what she was expecting, but it was nice to see them hanging out themselves.

El immediately brightened up when she saw the twins hanging out in the kitchen. “You guys are back!”

Before River could answer, she was pulled into a bone-crushing hug. “Wow, you’re strong.” She hugged back, patting her back and offering a fond smile. El didn’t waste doing the same to Hawthorne, which made him laugh. 

“What are you guys up to?” River asked.

“We’re heading to the mall,” Max answered.

She paused, giving them a stern look. “Woah, that’s against the rules,” she said. “You know that’s not allowed.”

“But you leave,” El pointed out.

While she had a point, that wasn’t the same thing. “That’s different.”

“Why?”

Sometimes, River almost hated how quick El was to question everything, but she understood that she was asking a genuine question.

“Because I’ve been hiding in plain sight for a long time now. And you’re supposed to be careful for a while.”

Max was just as stubborn and chipped in with, “but Mike’s being a jerk. And I thought it might help her to have some fun without him.”

“Can’t you guys do that here?”

“Sure, but that’s not as fun is it?”

River sighed. She was sure this had something do with Hopper and Mike’s “little talk.” He must have scared the kid, and she wouldn’t put it past him to keep that from her. Maybe El would benefit from going out. Just this once. Besides, she knew she’d find a way to sneak out if she didn’t let them. 

“Fine, but I’m coming along. I was already planning on heading to the mall, anyways,” River said. If they were going to be out and about, might as well be around to make sure nothing bad happens.

Hawthorne seemed a little surprised she’d cracked. “What if Hopper comes back while you guys are gone?” he asked.

“I’ll make sure we’re back before he does.” Maybe not foolproof, but she would just have to take a risk. She was sure she could reason with him if he found out.

The girls dragged her along before he could make a retort, and she followed them out to the bus, which was pretty packed. She let the two of them sit together and took a seat behind them.

“So, what are you going to the mall for?” Max asked, turning to face her. 

River shrugged. “I’m just curious to see what it’s like. I never thought Hawkins would ever get a mall.” It was a pretty small town, and she’d heard Starcourt was pretty big, which intrigued her. Even if that wasn’t really the reason she was going, which Max seemed to infer.

“Oh, come on. That’s not all, is it?” She turned a bit more, throwing her arm over the back of her seat. “You’re going to see Steve, aren’t you?”

Admittedly, the fact that she’d gotten right embarrassed her a little. Was she really that obvious?

“Well, he is my friend, and I haven’t seen him all summer,” River pointed out.

Max didn’t seem totally convinced. “God, are you two ever going to stop being so blind?” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We all know you guys like each other,” she insisted. “It’s been so painful watching you guys tiptoe around your feelings.”

The fact that Max was that observant was a testament to how smart she was, but River saw it as more of an inconvenience right now. 

“We have not. We’re really just friends.” River wasn’t any more convinced hearing herself say it, but that was the truth, wasn’t it? There was no way they’d be more than that. And it wasn’t like she liked Steve that way. 

Max shook her head, turning around again. “You guys are hopeless.”

Her words continue to ring in her ears the rest of the bus ride, and by the time they stopped outside the mall, River’s mind was racing. 

She tried to brush it aside as they hopped off the bus.

El looked around curiously, almost seeming a bit worried and distressed.

“What’s wrong?” Max asked. 

“Too many people. Against the rules.”

Now she questioned going out? Then again, it was way more overwhelming actually being here. Starcourt was much bigger than River expected. 

“Seriously?” Max nudged her, trying to be encouraging. “You have superpowers. What’s the worst that could happen?”

River wasn’t sure if they should speak so soon, but decided this would be a good time to set some ground rules. 

“Okay, if I’m going to set you loose, I want you guys to meet me at Scoops Ahoy when you’re done.” She ignored the smug look on Max’s face. “Is that clear?”

Both girls nodded, and she let them wander off on their own for now. El deserved a chance to be a stupid teenager for a few hours.

Right now, River was much more preoccupied with the thought of bugging Steve. Maybe she’d even weasel some free ice cream out of him. And the uniform. She’d heard all about the Scoops Ahoy uniform and how funny it looked. Already, River was mentally preparing herself to laugh hysterically at him. 

Of course, maybe not as prepared as she previously thought. As she approached the counter, she tried with all her might to hide her snickering, but it was practically impossible. 

“Okay, yeah. Laugh it up,” Steve muttered. “I’d like to see you make this ridiculous uniform work.”

River snorted, giving him another once-over. “No way. I think you make it work just fine,” she teased. “That hat really brings the whole outfit together.”

She could imagine the mental anguish he was going through having to hide his hair. 

“This thing is totally screwing me over!” he exclaimed. “How the hell am I supposed to pick up girls if I’m not even allowed to show off my best feature?”

Honestly, River wasn’t really sure why, but she felt a slight pang of jealousy just thinking about all the girls he must have flirted with. 

“I’m sure one of them is bound to come around,” she assured him. Steve didn’t seem so sure. The dejected huff he gave in response was enough to convince her he was losing hope. 

Before she could dig through her brain for any more comforting words, Dustin popped his head out of the break room. River’s brows furrowed. Why he was here was beyond her, but she supposed it shouldn’t have been so shocking. Steve and Dustin were practically inseparable at this point. 

Dustin brightened up the moment he spotted River, but the relieved look on his face put her on edge. Something was happening here, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know. 

“Perfect! Steve, why the hell didn’t you tell me River was here?” he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air followed by an exasperated sigh. “She can help us.”

Steve’s eyes widened, and his previous look of defeat was replaced with a huge grin.

Something was definitely happening here.

“Okay, woah. Help with what?” River glanced between them, even more peeved that neither of them was telling her anything. It was like they were having some telepathic debate, which was impossible. Telepathy was her thing.

“Hi. Hello. Anyone wanna tell me what the hell’s going on?” she exclaimed.

Neither of them answered right away. Dustin was quick to take her hand and drag her into the back room. She hardly had a chance to notice Steve glance around the shop, as if scanning for anyone who might be eavesdropping. That only concerned her more. 

In the back room, there was a tape recorder placed in the middle of the table, and standing at the end of the table was Robin Buckley. River had a few conversations with her, so they were acquainted enough, she felt. 

“Okay, seriously. What is all this about?” River asked, glancing at the recorder.

Dustin plopped into a chair, looking like a kid in a candy store. Or an ice cream store, really. He was clearly excited about something. 

“Last night, I was trying out Cerebro — the radio I built — and I intercepted some kind of code,” he explained. “The only problem was, it’s in Russian. And Robin thinks she’s cracked it, but I thought — since you speak Russian — maybe you could double check.” 

There was a lot to unpack there, and she wasn’t even sure what to make of all that. Nevertheless, she caved and listened to the tape. As she looked over their translation, sure enough, she could safely say they had it pretty accurate. 

River sat back, dropping the notepad on the table. “Yeah, that’s right,” she said. “No clue what it means, but you got it.” She turned to Robin, who looked relieved and maybe a bit proud of herself.

“There’s no way that can be right,” Steve chimed in. “It all sounds like nonsense.”

“Well, I’m telling you, it’s right,” River insisted. “It’s a code. Did you think it was going to be clear?”

Steve sighed and crossed his arms, leaning against the door. “No, but it feels way too...all over the place. I don’t know.”

“Whatever the hell it means, it’s just going to be harder to crack.” She knew Dustin had a point, though she wasn’t even sure where to start with this.

At some point, Steve and Robin had to go back out to work, but River stayed in the back room to help. As she expected, they weren’t making any more progress than before. Interpreting the code was proving far more difficult than Dustin hoped, and she could only do so much to help him. 

An hour or so passed, and she finally looked up as Steve peeked in. “Max and El are here for you,” he said.

River got up, wishing Dustin luck and ruffling his hair, before she went out to meet the girls.

“Is El even allowed out here?” he asked as she went around the counter.

“No, but I decided one mall trip couldn’t be a bad idea.”

Steve raised an eyebrow, but didn’t ask her to elaborate, thankfully.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” River added. “I hope you guys have some better luck.”

“We’ll tell you how it goes,” Robin assured her, offering a smile. 

River nodded and said her goodbyes before the girls dragged her back to the bus. She immediately noticed the wardrobe change El was rocking. And honestly? She really liked it.

Luckily, Hopper wasn’t home yet when they made it back to the cabin. River went to her room, letting the girls hang out in El’s room. 

Her mind wandered, as she laid back on her bed. She had her headphones on, her Walkman softly playing “ _Take a chance on me.”_ There was a lot going on in her head, and it was so hard to make sense of any of it.

Over and over, she kept thinking about what Max said to her on the bus. Sure, Steve was her friend, and she liked him. He really wasn’t so bad the more time she spent with him, and they’d gone through a lot together. But that didn’t really mean she liked him, right? There was no way. 

In fact, she had a feeling Steve probably liked Robin, or literally anyone but herself. More than likely, he just saw her as a good friend. Which was fine, because she was sure she felt that way about him.

He’d done a lot of nice things for her, but that was what friends did for each other. River wasn’t any less confused the more she thought about it. 

It was late and, therefore, a problem to deal with tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 2

It probably said a lot that Hawthorne didn’t say much to stop River from taking the girls out. Really, he just didn’t want to deal with it, and maybe she had a point. He trusted that she could keep them safe if anything went wrong. 

That just left him in the house. Alone. The only company he had was Rex, who was happily eating out of his bowl. He was mostly a calm dog.

Of course, that didn’t exactly last too long, because the phone rang, though he had no clue who it could be. Maybe Mike was calling to try talking to El.

“Hello?”

“Hawthorne? I didn’t know you were home.” It was Nancy, surprisingly. And boy was he glad to hear her voice after being gone for a while.

He leaned against the wall. “Yeah, just got back a bit ago, actually,” he said. “If you were looking for Hop, he’s not here.”

There was a slight pause, as if she was thinking. “Yeah, but you might be better, actually,” she said. “Can you meet me somewhere?”

Hawthorne quickly scribbled down the address she gave him, not bothering to question it right away. He’d learned pretty quickly that it was better to question it in person than over the phone.   
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” he said, giving a quick goodbye before hanging up.

* * *

Hawthorne didn’t recognize the house he was standing in front of, but it was the address Nancy gave him. And he spotted Jonathan’s car as he walked up the driveway, and they were both just getting out. He was a bit concerned as to where any of this was going, though. 

If something had happened, Nancy would have told him, right?

Hawthorne shook it off and ran over to meet them. “Hey, what’s going on?” he asked.

“Nancy’s trying to get a story,” Jonathan answered, seeming irked. 

It was immediately clear to him that they were having some problems, and they weren’t on the same page.

“I told you. What she told me over the phone was weird, and it just doesn’t add up,” Nancy insisted. 

Hawthorne sighed internally, already feeling like this was going to be a long day. He shook his head, following the up to the front door. He didn’t totally get why he was here, but maybe it was for the best. 

Someone was going to have to be the mediator.

Shortly after Nancy knocked on the door, an old woman answered. Hawthorne quickly noted that she seemed kind enough. Next to Nancy and Jonathan, he probably didn’t look like much. After all, they were dressed nicely, and looked professional — it was to be expected with their jobs, he supposed. By comparison, he was wearing a faded shirt he hadn’t changed out of yet, which was tucked into his jeans. The woman — Mrs. Driscoll, as Nancy addressed her — quickly pointed out they looked too young to be reporters, which she seemed to wave off quickly enough.

Hawthorne glanced around the house as he walked in, shoving his hands in his pockets. It occurred to him that he still didn’t know why he was here. Why any of them were here. And if it had something to do with the Upside Down, he didn’t think he wanted to be a part of it. After the last time, he’d been hoping everything might be finally over, but he knew better than to hold onto that hope. Every time he seemed to get further away from that part of his life, it seemed to corner him again unexpectedly.

He’d caught most of Nancy’s conversation with Mrs. Driscoll, though he wasn’t any less lost. He followed as she left towards a door that led down to the basement, from what it looked like.

The stairs creaked under his feet as he stepped into the basement. Even with the light switched on, there was just enough light to see his surroundings.

“It’s right over there.” 

Mrs. Driscoll pointed to a corner of the room where torn bags of fertilizer lay in a pile. Hawthorne took in the scene as Nancy took a look for herself. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something felt off about this whole thing. It was hard to say what was giving him that feeling, but, whatever it was, he didn’t like it.

Jonathan started snapping photos as Nancy tried to get more information out of Mrs. Driscoll. All he’d really gathered was enough to know something strange was happening with the rats in the town. It sounded crazy, of course, but not the weirdest thing he’d heard. Clearly, Nancy was on the same page.

From the other end of the room, a thud echoed loud enough that it nearly made him jump and snapped him out of his thoughts. Mrs. Driscoll, appearing excited, brought them over to a cage covered in a cloth.

“I caught one of the little bastards,” she said proudly. 

The cage rattled, and Hawthorne could clearly hear the squeaking of a rat under the cover. That alone put him on edge.

* * *

While Nancy was upstairs, Hawthorne stayed with Jonathan. The rat threw itself against the cage repeatedly, making it very difficult to get any good pictures. 

It was clear that Jonathan was getting aggravated. “We’re gonna have to keep doing this until you stop moving, you little shit.”

Hawthorne couldn’t help but laugh as he watched him continue to snap a few more photos. “I think this might be as good as it gets.”

“All I want is one decent shot,” Jonathan huffed.

Somehow, he felt like whatever happened before he showed up was affecting his mood more than the rat. At this point, he figured it might be a good time to figure out what the hell was going on between the two of them.

“You know, I didn’t want to ask earlier, but did something happen between you and Nance?” he asked.

Jonathan paused for a moment, sighing as he let his camera fall around his neck again. “We’re just having a disagreement.”

While that might be the truth, Hawthorne felt like there was a lot more to unpack there. 

“Sometimes, I wonder why I leave you two alone.” He laughed weakly, mulling over his next words. “You know, you guys can tell me things.”

He liked to think he was the rational one in most situations if he could help it. And with the tension that seemed to wedge itself between the two people he cared most about, he wanted to be there to help them through whatever this problem was.

Jonathan was about to speak when the rat, which had continued to thrash and squeal this whole time, suddenly went quiet. They shared a look of confusion before they turned to check it out. The rat was lying on its back, letting out quiet, weak squeals now. Something definitely wasn’t right about this.

Nancy came storming down the stairs, and Hawthorne whipped around to see the bright smile on her face.

“Guys, I have a lead,” she explained, stopping on the last step.

Jonathan still seemed rattled by the drastic change in the rat. “Yeah, okay, but…I just think there’s something really wrong with this rat.”

“Yeah, no shit. Come on.”

“No, but I-” Nancy already disappeared upstairs again, and Jonathan shared a look of exasperation before packing up. Hawthorne sighed and followed after them again.

At this point, he wasn’t even sure what the hell he was even doing here, or how the hell he was even supposed to help. So far, he’d been practically no help to either or them, and he wasn’t even sure how to fix whatever was going with them.


	3. Chapter 3

How River ended up on a stakeout was unclear to her. In hindsight, it might have been smarter to stay behind with Robin, but she figured it would be better to give her some space to think. 

Even with her ability to confirm that their translation was correct, River didn’t know where to start with actually deciphering what it really meant. That felt like a task better left to Robin, anyways.

Which left her to sneak around the mall with Steve and Dustin. Which was fine, really. She didn’t mind. Except the fact that they had absolutely no clue what they were doing.

“Do you see anything?” Dustin crouched beside Steve, peeking out from behind the plant they’d chosen to hide behind. 

Steve scanned the area with the binoculars. “I guess I don’t totally know what I’m looking for.”

“Evil Russians.”

“Yeah, exactly. I don’t know what an evil Russian looks like.”

“Tall, blond, not smiling.”

River scoffed and turned to Dustin. “I’m beginning to think you guys don’t even know what a Russian looks like,” she said. 

Dustin stammered. “Well, that’s why you’re here.”

“I can guarantee you that no one here looks inherently ‘Russian’ without getting stereotypical.” 

“Well, that’s why we also have to look out for earpieces, camo, duffel bags, that sort of thing.”

Steve simply nodded along, and River could already sense how distracted he was. His train of thought was not remotely focused on spies or Russians. “Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” he mumbled.

“What?” Dustin perked up, hoping he might have spotted something suspicious.

“Anna Jacobi’s talking with that meathead Mark Lewinsky.”

River and Dustin groaned simultaneously. “Dude, if you’re not gonna focus, just give me the binoculars.”

“Jesus Christ, whatever happened to standards?” Steve was hardly even listening at that point, and Dustin had to yank the binoculars from his hands, the strap strangling him for a second.

“Besides, I don’t even know why You’re looking at girls. You have the perfect one right in front of you,” Dustin added. 

River couldn’t help perking up at his words, though she wasn’t sure why.

“Seriously, if you say Robin again-”

“Robin.”

Immediately, River’s hopes deflated. She couldn’t help thinking back to her conversation with Max from the day before. She’d been in such denial, but what if Max was right? And if she was, that meant she was just getting her hopes up for nothing. Because, for all she knew, maybe Steve really did like Robin, and the last thing she needed was to put herself through the pain of seeing Steve with someone else. 

Despite Dustin’s continued nagging, Steve shut him down quickly. “She’s not even my type.” For just a moment, River’s hope returned, but she pushed it down. If Robin wasn’t his type, there was no way she was either. 

“She’s not even in the ballpark of my type,” Steve insisted. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to tag along.

Dustin finally turned to him again. “What’s your type again? Not awesome?”

River sighed and listened to them argue, mostly tuning them out at this point. Max had been right, and now she had no idea what to do. She was stuck helping them, as she’d promised to do, while also battling with herself internally. 

“And she’s weird. She’s a weirdo. And she’s hyper. I don’t like that she’s hyper,” Steve continued, catching her attention again. “And she was in drama. That’’s a bad look. And she’s in band?” Steve shook his head. “No.”

“You have something against weirdos?” River chimed in, refusing to look at him. If she just kept her eyes ahead and tried to look like she was helping, maybe she could push down her feelings and ignore them.

Steve paused, seeming to understand what she was getting at. “Well, you’re...you’re different,” he insisted. 

“Different how?”

Steve stuttered, unable to come up with a proper response. “You just are. You’re my friend, and I’ve known you for a while now. You’re a cool kind of weird.”

His words were equally kind and frustrating all at once. Yes, they were friends, but now that she was having her epiphany, it almost hurt to hear him say it. 

Friends.

“Maybe instead of dating someone you think is gonna make you cooler, why don’t you date someone you actually enjoy being around,” Dustin cut in. “Like me and Suzie.”

It always amazed her how much smarter the kids could be than either of them. He was right, even if Steve didn’t seem to think he needed the advice.

“Right, Suzie. You mean, ‘hotter than Phoebe Cates.’ Yeah, that Suzie.” 

River let them go at it for now. She started to wonder if it was too late to go back with Robin, though that might hurt just as much right now.

It was a long while before anything happened. Far longer than she would have liked. She was already getting antsy every second they spent sitting in the same spot, and there was now an air of tension between her and Steve — though that might have been all in her head. It was hard to tell. 

“Target acquired.” River felt relieved when Dustin spoke up, but she was also curious who he found suspicious enough to look like his idea of an evil Russian.

Steve took the binoculars from him and searched until she assumed he’d found whoever Dustin was talking about. 

“Shit,” he mumbled. “Duffel bag.”

Steve and Dustin turned to each other. “Evil Russian.” 

Before she could comprehend what was happening, they were leaving their hiding spot and calling her over to follow them. River sighed and rolled her eyes before she got up as well.

The boys snuck around, possibly taking this whole spy thing way too seriously. It was funny — that much she could admit — but it was a miracle no one else in the mall had caught onto them. Calmly, and without making a fool of herself, she followed them, spotting the man they must be spying on. 

In a stereotypical sense, yeah, he fit the evil Russian profile. And he did have a duffel bag, which was weird, but she didn’t really see any other reason they’d singled him out. They’d been right before, though, so she went along in the hopes they were finally on to something.

They trailed behind, getting too close, according to Dustin. Both of them scrambled to look casual the moment the guy turned back. If anything, they looked just as suspicious as before, and she tried not to laugh, still refusing to follow their lead.

As soon as he kept walking, Steve dragged them ahead again to follow him. By this point, she’d had the bright idea to simply dig around the guy’s brain a little. Nothing too serious, mostly so he wouldn’t feel her presence in his head. And what she found made her almost laugh. Even more so when they stopped and watched him join the ladies getting read for Jazzercise, of all things.

There was a visible look of confusion on the boys’ faces, and she finally let out the laughter she’d been holding in. “Outstanding spy work, guys,” she teased.

Dustin seemed sorely disappointed, and a bit weirded out. And it wasn’t hard to notice Steve staring at all ladies, unfortunately. Except, she wasn’t doing much better, or she’d call him out for it. It was very possible she also caught herself staring for a little longer than she should have. She shook her head and cleared her throat.

“Hate to break it to you, but your stakeout plan didn’t really work,” she said.

Sighing in defeat, Dustin took Steve, dragging him away. “So, what now?” Dustin asked.

River shrugged and followed. “I guess we check on Robin’s progress. Hopefully, she might have fared better than us,” she said.

It was the best plan they had right now. Instead of finding her in the store, though, Robin was standing outside.

“Robin? What are you doing?” Steve asked.

Robin grinned and jumped down to join them. “I’ve cracked it.”

“Cracked what?” They looked at her curiously, hoping she’d done so much better than they had.

“I’ve cracked the code.” 

* * *

Stakeout number two was already proving much more successful. As soon as Steve and Robin were off the clock, the four of themselves headed out in raincoats, perched atop a roof overlooking the mall’s storage unit.

It was almost hard to hear anything over the thunder and the pitter-pattering of the rain against her hood. Dustin was in charge of the binoculars, upon his own insistence. 

“Look for Imperial Panda and Kaufman Shoes,” Robin said loud enough to be heard over the rain. 

Dustin kept a close eye on the truck where boxes were being unloaded. “There with that whistling guy, ten o’clock.”

“What do you think is in there?” Steve asked curiously. 

“Guns, bombs?”

“Chemical weapons?”

“Whatever it is, they’re armed to the teeth.”

Steve sighed. River could see his hair was flattened and wet by the rain, and he looked exasperated, not that she blamed him. “Great. Just great.”

From here, she could spot more boxes, and when Robin called it out Steve tried to get a better look. Of course, they boys fought over the binoculars, accidentally banging them against them against the rail. 

They ducked for cover, and River could feel her heart pounding. If they ended up being caught, that might just be the end for them. She stayed low, hoping the noise was written off as nothing suspicious. Perhaps she should have been more focused on that than the fact that she noticed Steve and Robin hold hands for just a split second. Not the kind of thing she should have been worried about, but she couldn’t help it. Assuming they got out of this just fine, she would have to find Max and tell her she was right. 

River didn’t have too much time to dwell on it before they were all rushing back inside. They couldn’t risk getting caught with no explanation for being on the roof this late in the rain.

“Well, I think we found your Russians,” Robin said.


	4. Chapter 4

Hawthorne wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about getting dragged along again, especially after he’d heard how well that went over the last time. The last thing he wanted was for Nancy to push this too far.

It was pouring and dark out, and he didn’t really see what more they could do this late at night as it was. He rushed up to the door, his hair sticking to his face, and his jacket soaked.

What was worse was that Mrs. Driscoll didn’t answer despite Nancy’s frantic knocking. Sure, it was strange that the lights were on, and Nancy had a point. There was nowhere else she could reasonably be right now.

“Well, there isn’t anything we can do right now,” Hawthorne pointed out. “We’ll have to come back and try again tomorrow.”

Nancy didn’t seem too convinced, and when she tried the doorknob, it opened easily. This felt wrong.

Jonathan’s concern mirrored his, thankfully. “Woah, what are you doing?” 

“Maybe she fell.” Nancy might have had a point, but if she was wrong, they could all be in trouble, and that was the last thing any of them needed right now.

“Nancy, this is trespassing.” But she didn’t listen, and Hawthorne felt he had no choice but to follow her in. If she was going to get herself in trouble, one of them had to be there with her. Jonathan seemed just as stressed, but he followed anyways.

Nancy called out, to which there was no response. 

Hawthorne couldn’t help feeling that something very wrong was going on, but he hoped he was wrong. With his luck, he wouldn’t be. The house was eerily silent, save for the thunderstorm outside. 

The door to the basement was cracked open, and Nancy was quick to open as she headed down the creaky stairway. He hesitated at the door, hoping and praying they wouldn’t find anything horrible. Jonathan gave him a reassuring look — it was enough to make him feel like everything might be okay, no matter what happened — and they went down together, sticking close to each other for comfort. His unease refused to go away, even as Nancy turned on the light. Another bag of fertilizer lay mostly empty on the floor.

Worse yet, a horrific roaring sounded from somewhere in the basement, and the three of them armed themselves with whatever tools were scattered nearby. Hawthorne wasn’t too enthusiastic to see what was making that sound, but he prepared himself anyways.

The last thing he really expected to find was Mrs. Driscoll eating fertilizer. She didn’t look great, but he supposed no one would after something like that. 

Hawthorne barely found his voice long enough to say, “Maybe someone should call 911.”

The bad feeling had been sitting in Hawthorne’s stomach all day. As much as he hated the thought, this was definitely Upside Down related, and he already wanted nothing to do with it. 

What’s more, Nancy and Jonathan were called in, and he could already tell nothing good was going to come of it. On the one hand, who knew what could have happened if they hadn’t gotten Mrs. Driscoll some help. And on the other, this was going to look bad for Nancy and Jonathan. 

He’d promised to wait in the car, but it only made his anxiety go through the roof. He tapped his foot against the car floor as he waited for them to return. His mind was racing far too much, and he eventually had to get out of the car for a moment.

Hawthorne leaned against the car, trying to calm the unsettling feeling that was gnawing at him from the inside. And just as he thought he might have gotten it under control, everything went dark. The air was colder, and there were spores drifting like ash in the air.

There was no way any of this should be possible. They closed the gate last time. But the more he thought about the awful feeling that had been sitting in his stomach all day, the more he knew there was more to this than he previously realized. Someone must be tampering with the gate again. 

Hawthorne was snapped back to the real world the moment he felt a hand on his shoulder. 

“Hey, you okay?” He turned to see Jonathan giving him a very concerned look. He hadn’t realized he’d wandered from the car a little in his brief moment of confusion.

“Yeah. Just fine.” It didn’t sound the least bit convincing, but he didn’t want Jonathan worrying about him right now.

Without another word, he got in the car again. Hawthorne slumped back in his seat, the silence suffocating him the whole ride. He pushed aside his own worries and searched for some way to approach this. Some way to make things better, because he didn’t want to deal with his boyfriend and girlfriend fighting if he could put a stop to it.

The silence didn’t last too long, though he was beginning to realize he would have preferred that. Nancy ranted on about how Tom was wrong and that none of this was any kind of coincidence. He had to admit, she had a decent point. Especially after what he’d just gone through himself. Something was wrong.

On the other hand, Jonathan made his own solid points. Everyone knew the Byers were poor and relied on the money they could get. And now that they’d both been fired, Jonathan wasn’t going to be able to help until he found another job. Assuming he even could. 

Regardless, they were both arguing far too much for his liking, and it was almost giving him a headache. “Can you guys please just accept that you’re both in the wrong to some degree?” he exclaimed, leaning his head against the window. 

It shut them up for the rest of the car ride, but everything was just as awkward, if not more. The moment they stopped outside of Nancy’s house, she quickly got out and stormed off. Hawthorne sighed and gave Jonathan an apologetic look before he got out and went after her.

“Nance, you know I didn’t mean anything by it-”

“Why are you taking his side?” Nancy turned on her heel, tears just barely threatening to spill. 

“I’m not picking anyone’s side,” he insisted. “Both of you are right, but you’re both wrong, too.”

“You didn’t see how awful those guys were to me.”

Hawthorne ran his fingers through his hair, pushing down the anxiety that was creeping up on him. “No, but I get it. I know how hard that had to be, but you cost Jonathan a lot today. And he’s not going to be the only one suffering for it. His family is, too. Joyce and Will are just as affected by this indirectly, and I just don’t think you thought that through.”

He hadn’t really meant to go off, but he really had a lot of feelings bottled up over this whole thing. Hawthorne understood both of their arguments, but he just wanted everything back to normal. He wasn’t quite sure if it was from stress or something else, but he was feeling very jittery and slightly panicked on the inside. 

Deep down, he was sure she realized he had a point. And he was trying his best to put things nicely, but there was just no way to do that. If he didn’t say it, no one else would. 

“I couldn’t sit there and let them humiliate me, Hawthorne.” Nancy hugged herself and looked down at the pavement. “What did you want me to do?”

Hawthorne sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know, Nance. But lately you’ve been so caught up in your own problems to consider what everyone else is going through,” he answered. “There are other people in this world besides you.” 

She went silent, and Hawthorne took that as his cue to leave her to think. He took the passenger seat and sat back, his stress bubbling up inside. 

Jonathan took his hand as he started driving, something he didn’t do often. It was comforting, though. He appreciated it greatly. 

“How are you feeling?” Jonathan finally asked after a moment of silence. “I feel bad that we haven’t really checked on you this whole time.”

Hawthorne hadn’t even really considered either of them having any concern for him. He didn’t feel like he’d done anything worthy of them checking on his well-being. The parking lot had been its own incident, but even that didn’t feel worth noting right now. 

“Fine. Mostly.” It wasn’t the total truth, but he didn’t want to cause anymore concern than he already had. He knew how Jonathan could be.

“Mostly?”

“Do you ever just feel like your whole body is working against you, and suddenly you’re working so much harder to breathe normally, and every little thing is putting you on edge?” He wasn’t quite sure how else to explain it, but that felt the best way to put it into words.

Jonathan thought for a moment and shook his head. “Not personally, but I think I’ve got a pretty good idea,” he said. “You know, you don’t have to tag along if you don’t want to. I won’t blame you for it.”

After today, he wasn’t sure if he really had much choice in the matter.

“Whether I like it or not, I’m in this now. And I’m not letting you guys deal with this alone.” He loved both of them too much to leave them to their own devices. A lot of the time, he wished he wasn’t such a coward, if for their sake more than his, but he was. That wasn’t going to stop him from trying, though. “I’m here to help you guys.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annie is a character that will show up from this chapter onward, but she belongs to my [good friend](https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmedtenderness), so go check out her stuff. She also has a stranger things fic you won't regret reading.

With so much happening in the short time River had been back in Hawkins, she hadn’t really taken much time to worry about her basic needs. A habit she fell into more often than she’d like to admit. She felt it was safe to assume the rest of her friends had done much better than her. 

Naturally, she offered to get everyone food while they talked out their plan, if they even had one. She figured it might be a good opportunity for her to think and have a moment to herself. Deciding it would be quicker, she headed over to Burger King, knowing it was pretty close to Scoops Ahoy, and brought back enough food for everyone. 

The four of them sat in the break room, eating and putting together whatever intel Dustin had after his own personal stakeout earlier today. Supposedly, he’d spotted a keycard, which would be a good way to get in. Except trying to take something like that was a suicide mission.

“That keycard opens the door, but unfortunately, the Russian with this keycard also has a massive gun,” Dustin explained as he paced. “Whatever’s in this room, whatever’s in those boxes, they really don’t want anybody finding it.”

River sighed. “So, we’re back to square one basically.”

“But there’s gotta be a way in,” Robin insisted.

“Well, you know, I could just take him out.” For a brief moment, River thought Steve was joking. The serious look on his face said otherwise.

“Take who out?” Robin asked. She was glad she was not the only one concerned with his plan.

“The Russian guard.”

River scoffed and shook her head. “Yeah, if you wanna get yourself killed.”

“What? It’s not that hard. I sneak up behind him, I knock him out, and I take his keycard,” Steve insisted. “It’s easy.”

“Did you not hear the part about the massive gun?” 

“Yes, Dustin, I did. That’s why I would be sneaking.”

“Well please, tell me this, and be honest. Have you ever actually won a fight?”

River easily recalled how terrible of a beating Steve took after his fight with Billy, not that she’d been much help herself. But after that, there was no way he could take an armed Russian guard all by himself.

“Okay, that was one time.”

“Twice. Jonathan, year prior.”

“Listen, that doesn’t count.”

“Why wouldn’t it? Because it looks like he beat the shit out of you.”

“Sorry, Steve, but Dustin has a point,” River agreed. “You got the shit beat out of you too many times.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously. Dude, I hate to break it to you, but you don’t have a winning streak, and adding a gun into the mix is probably just going to get you killed.”

“Wait. why can’t you do it?” Dustin asked.

River’s eyes widened. “Wait, why me?”

“You’ve got powers and shit. Can’t you use them to take the keycard?”

Steve shook his head. He was not having that idea. “Okay, woah. Not happening.” 

“Why?”

“Because, Dustin. It’s just a bad idea.”

“It’s better than your plan.”

“What? So, risking River’s life instead of mine is better?”

“No, but she could do it without anyone knowing.”

“That’s way too risky, and I’m not letting her get hurt-”

It was very hard for River to get a word in edgewise, but before she could really question that last part, Robin was taking off, grabbing whatever was in the tip jar.

“Hey, Robin. What are you doing?” Steve was up the moment he noticed her leaving.

“I need cash,” Robin said, as if it was obvious.

“Well, half of that’s mine. Where are you going?”

“To find us a way into that room. A safe way.”

River sighed in relief. It was a good thing someone in this group had the brains. Robin left them to look over the shop in the meantime. Hopefully she’d come back with a much better plan.

Steve sighed and tried to keep up with the workload by himself in the meantime. River and Dustin kept him company, especially once things slowed down enough for him to get bored. 

“Where do you think Robin went?” he asked. 

River shrugged, leaning against the back counter. “Where she said she was going. To find us a way in,” she said. “Better than either of us getting ourselves killed.”

She couldn’t help thinking back to what he’d said earlier before cutting himself off. From what she could tell, he was thinking about it just as much as her. He even seemed a bit antsy, busying himself to distract himself.

“Did you mean what you said?” she asked. 

Steve didn’t look up from the spot of the counter he was cleaning meticulously for no reason at all. “Which part?”

“The part about not wanting me to get hurt.” River knew he was just trying to avoid it, and she couldn’t really tell why. But clearly it was bugging him just as much, and she felt it needed to be addressed. 

“Well, yeah. Of course I did.” Steve finally set down the rag and turned to her. “You’re my friend, and after you almost died trying to save me last year? The last thing I want is for you to needlessly injure yourself more than you have already, if not worse.”

He sounded so sincere, as he always did. It was hard to ignore the fact that her heart skipped a beat at his words, but she tried not to think about it. For as good as that was doing her so far, she felt it was probably for the best.

“Well, someone had to keep you from becoming Demodog food,” she joked, lightly nudging him. 

Steve laughed. Somehow, River never quite noticed just how nice his laugh was. Even if he never ended up reciprocating her feelings, making him laugh felt like a worthy mission on its own. Especially while they waited for Robin’s return. The rest of their time was spent messing around as much as possible without making a mess or getting Steve in trouble. Somewhere along the line, Dustin joined in. She noticed the way he would give them weird looks every now and then, though she waved it off. As long as she wasn’t being obvious.

Robin didn’t take nearly as long as River had anticipated. What they hadn’t expected was for her to bring a friend along. Dustin, of course, had some complaints. 

“The whole town is going to know by the end of the week,” he mumbled. 

River was just glad to have another familiar face to keep her company in this chaos. If they were going to bring anyone into the loop, Annie Hardwick was probably the best person for it. They’d messed around in class together enough times to be considered friends, she supposed. 

“Well, she helped me get this, so she can help all she wants.” Robin waved a roll of paper in his face before she laid it out on the table. A map. “This is Starcourt Mall. The complete blueprints.”

Dustin looked genuinely impressed. “Not bad.” Maybe he would change his mind about Annie yet.

Robin grinned and pointed out a spot on the map. “This is us. Scoops.” She pointed to where the storage unit should be. “And this is where we want to go.”

“I mean, I don’t really see a way in,” Steve pointed out.

River couldn’t make out any visible entrances either, unfortunately. “Yeah, it looks like the only way in is past the guard,” she agreed. “There’s no way in.”

“There’s not, if you’re talking exclusively about doors.” Robin peeled away the map and revealed one that looked similar, though it looked like it was marking the vents.

“Air ducts,” River and Dustin said simultaneously. They were so lucky Robin was actually thinking all of this through more than them. 

“Exactly. Turns out this secret room needs air just like any old room.” Robin continued, grabbing a marker. “And these air ducts,” she said, drawing a path to Scoops Ahoy, “lead all the way here.”

She circled the store, and they turned to vent high up on the wall. Steve was quick to grab a ladder, and River handed him a screwdriver as he climbed up. Even as he was taking it apart, she had a feeling it might be too small to crawl through, even for Dustin.

Steve moved the flashlight around the entrance and shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t know, man. I don’t know if you can fit in here,” he said. “It’s, like, super tight.”

Just as she feared. 

“I’ll fit,” Dustin insisted. “Trust me. No collar bones, remember?”

River raised an eyebrow.

Robin seemed just as confused. “Uh, excuse me?” 

“Oh, he’s, uh, got some disease.” Steve climbed down and let Dustin take a shot at squeezing in the air duct. “Chry...Chrydo, um…something. He’s missing bones and stuff. He can bend like Gumbo.”

“You mean Gumby.”

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s Gumbo.”

River wasn’t really sure where this act of his was coming from, but she knew better. In the short time they’d spent studying together, he’d proven pretty quickly that he was by no means an idiot.

“Steve, just shut up and push me!”

“Okay!”

Steve sighed and climbed back up the ladder where half of Dustin’s body stuck out.

“So, these are your friends?” Annie asked.

River shrugged. “Yeah, unfortunately.” Though, she wouldn’t change any of this for the world. 

In the background, Steve was trying his best to push Dustin in as much as possible, to no avail. 

“Not my feet, dumbass. Push my ass.”

“What?”

“Touch my butt! I don’t care!”

Annie laughed at the two of them. “Quite the bunch,” she teased.

“Yeah, sorry you had to meet them this way,” River snorted.

So far, it looked like Steve and Dustin weren’t having any success, which meant they’d have to come up with a plan B. She might have offered to try it herself, seeing as she was the smallest one, unfortunately, except she was claustrophobic and would rather she didn’t have to try. Thankfully, Robin seemed to have another plan. 

* * *

Convincing Erica to help was going about as well as River would have expected. Which was to say, not very well at all. She could already tell Steve was annoyed, and she couldn’t blame him. Erica sent back practically everything he brought her.

Robin was trying her best to talk Erica into helping them, which wasn’t going any better. Because, yeah, Erica wasn’t wrong. Their plan was pretty half-baked. 

Dustin’s attempt didn’t go over much better.

“Know what I love most about this country? Capitalism.”

An odd statement, River realized, from someone who had been mooching off the free sample system this whole time. She couldn’t help thinking about it as Erica went on.

“Hate to break it to you, kid, but this is the opposite of capitalism,” River pointed out, gesturing at all the ice cream laid out on the table for her.

“Look, it seems to me that my ability to fit in that little vent is very, very valuable to you all,” Erica said. “So, you want my help? This USS Butterscotch better be the first of many.”

River sighed and shared a defeated look with the rest of her friends. “And I’m talking free ice cream. For life.”

* * *

It seemed like a miracle that they even managed to get Erica in on this. Robin had a walkie-talkie out to talk to Erica while they kept watch. 

They were so much closer to getting into that secret room, and the idea made her both nervous and excited all at once. There were so many ways all of this could go terribly wrong.

Steve seemed to sense her nerves and turned to her while Robin and Erica went back and forth.

“You okay?” he asked, keeping his voice low.

River offered a smile and nodded. “Just fine.”

“You know, you don’t have to help if you don’t want to.”

Sure, this was probably going to be really dangerous, but she couldn’t imagine leaving them on their own. She’d feel terrible, and to say she wasn’t curious herself would be a lie.

“No, I want to,” she assured him. “You guys might need my help, anyways.”

It would probably be pretty beneficial to have a non-evil Russian with them, she figured. Steve hesitated for a moment before nodding. She’d been worried he might think it was far too dangerous and risky for her given his reaction the last time she tried to save him. 

River turned the moment Erica walked through the doors, the five of them sharing a shocked look. She laughed and shared a high five with Annie. 

They didn’t waste any time in rushing down to meet Erica. As she’d confirmed, the room was full of the boxes they’d seen the night before. Steve quickly cut one open as they gathered around to take a look. He revealed a metal container of sorts, which he opened with some slight apprehension. 

“Maybe you guys should stand back.”

Normally, she might argue, but there was no telling what was in that container. Dustin, however, was less willing to obey orders this time around.

“No.”

“Just step back, okay?”

“No.”

“Step back, seriously.”

“No! If you die, I die.”

Steve gave up trying to stop him and pulled out something...strange looking. River wasn’t even totally sure what she was looking at, but it was green and looked like it was some sort of liquid. Whatever it was, it didn’t look good.

“What is that?” Robin asked.

River shook her head, and before any of them could come up with a guess, the room jerked unexpectedly.

“Was that just me, or did the room move?” Dustin asked, looking around.

“No, it definitely moved” River agreed.

Erica glanced between them. “Booby traps.”

Robin quickly grabbed the weird goo, River and Annie rushing around to help her take what they needed. Dustin was struggling to open the door, and Steve wasn’t having any more success. 

“Just open the door!” the girls exclaimed as they finished packing up.

None of the buttons were doing anything, and suddenly the room moved again. River scrambled to hold onto something as they suddenly plummeted with the rest of the room. The room was a goddamn elevator.

There was so much screaming around her, and River was definitely contributing to the chaos herself. The elevator was dropping alarmingly fast, and no amount of button mashing was doing them any good. 

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the elevator stopped, and River lost her footing. She fell back, landing on her hands. Steve fell close to her, a box landing on him. She groaned and shook off her pain before she went to move the box off of him with Dustin’s help.

“Is everyone okay?” Robin asked, rubbing her head where she hit it.

Steve got up, clearly agitated. “Yeah, I’m great now that I know that Russians can’t design elevators!” he exclaimed.

“Gee, thanks. I’m right here,” River huffed.

Steve pushed past her and Dustin before pressing all of the buttons frantically.

“I think we’ve clearly established that those buttons don’t work,” Robin said.

“They’re buttons, they have to do something!”

“Yeah, if we had a keycard.”

“A What?”

“It’s an electronic lock. Same as the loading dock door. If we don’t have a keycard, it won’t operate, meaning-”

“We’re stuck in here.”

River sighed and slid down against the wall. “Great. Who knows how long we’ll be in here.”

“Just so you nerds are aware, I’m supposed to be spending the night at Tina’s,” Erica said. “And Tina always covers for me. But if I’m not home for Uncle Jack’s part tomorrow, and my mom finds out you guys are responsible, she’s gonna hunt you down one by one and slit your throat.”

River rolled her eyes and rested her head in her hands. That wasn’t happening any time soon.

Steve seemed just as fed up as the rest of them were. “I don’t care about Tina! Or Uncle Jack’s party! You’re mom’s not gonna be able to find us if we’re dead in a Russian elevator.”

He let that sink in. 

Dustin pointed up to the roof of the elevator. “Hey. What if we climbed out?”


	6. Chapter 6

Hawthorne groaned when he heard the phone ring. He’d been sleeping, so it was a very jarring sound. Even worse was how early it was, and it seemed like Jonathan was just as aggravated. 

Groaning, Hawthorne threw the pillow over his head and tried to drown out the sound. He sighed in relief when the ringing stopped, thinking it might be over and he could sleep peacefully again.

His hopes were dashed the moment the ringing started up again. Jonathan groaned and finally got up to answer the phone. At this point, Hawthorne realized he was going to get any more sleep and sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He could just barely make out Jonathan’s voice. 

“Nancy, why wouldn’t he be safe?” 

Whatever was going on, Jonathan sounded very distressed, which was an immediate red flag that something was wrong. Hawthorne got up and went to check on him as he placed the phone back on the receiver.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, his voice still croaky from sleep.

Jonathan sighed and hurried back to his room. “We’re going to find the kids,” he said. “Nancy said something’s wrong, so we have to find Will.”

Hawthorne frowned and followed after him, watching for a moment as he frantically changed. “And just when I thought things might be a little normal around here.” He should have known better than to hope for some normalcy.

There was hardly any time to waste. They headed out to Jonathan’s car and headed to the hospital for Nancy as fast as was legally possible.

As soon as the three of them were finally together, they headed to Nancy’s house, where all of the kids were hanging out. No surprise there. They always gathered in the basement, that he was aware of. 

The door to the basement was closed when they showed up, but Nancy was quick to knock frantically. Mike yelled back in response. 

“Not now, Mom!”

“Mike, open the door.”

There was a pause before Hawthorne heard Mike scramble up the steps to open the door for them, a perplexed look on his face. Before he could even ask what was happening, Nancy hurried them down the stairs to gather the rest of the party.

Hawthorne listened to her ramble on for a bit, explaining everything to the kids. He could tell she was distressed, and he could tell why just listening to her. Admittedly, though, having to hear more shit about the Upside Down and the Mind Flayer, especially after his vision (could he even call it that?), just wasn’t sitting well with him. Sure, he knew they had to do something about this. He was well aware. But the more this dragged on, the lass he wanted to be involved. He hardly wanted to the first time around. And could anyone blame him? Hawthorne spent a whole three years in a lab only to find out he could have been dealing with this earlier? He wasn’t a fan of it.

Even worse was having to listen to Nancy and Jonathan act passive-aggressive towards each other. Hawthorne was trying so hard to fix whatever was going on with them, but they didn’t make it easy. Nor should he have to fix it. He just hoped they would work it out, otherwise he wasn’t sure what he was going to do.

Instead, he was trying to focus on the fact that, apparently, there were more people who were “flayed,” as the kids put it. That felt like something much more important to pay attention to, albeit much scarier. 

El seemed to connect some dots, which led to Nancy’s realization. It was all happening way too fast for Hawthorne to keep up with, and, before he could ask for some much needed clarification, they were already heading back to Jonathan's car. Perhaps the one time he really hated being tall was right now. Piling in with a bunch of kids wasn’t really fun. Before he knew it, Nancy was hurrying out of the driveway. It was alarming to him just how reckless she was being, but he didn’t say anything given the circumstances.

* * *

Hawthorne walks up to the door, trailing behind everyone. He feels like he’s gone on autopilot. Like he’s not really in control of himself anymore. He knows the moment they walk into this house, they’ll get the confirmation they need. And that’s when he’ll have to accept that he really is being roped into saving the world again.

It’s the last thing he wanted when he arrived home a few days ago, but he can’t do anything to put a stop to it. Not himself, anyways.

Nancy rang the doorbell — that much he can hear. For a moment, it grounded him to reality, to the moment. He really snapped out of his thoughts when no one answered. 

This is it. 

El opened the door for them, and there was a twisting feeling in Hawthorne’s stomach. The house was eerily silent. The only thing filling that silence is their footsteps, slow and careful as they stepped inside.

While Nancy was preoccupied with calling out, hoping to hear from any of the Holloways, Hawthorne looked around. He kept an eye out for anything out of the norm. But so far, it was just an empty house.

Except the weird smell in the air.

Thankfully, Hawthorne wasn’t the only one who noticed. 

“Do you guys smell that?” Nancy asked. 

Hawthorne nodded quickly, scrunching his nose at the smell. In the kitchen, assorted cans and bottles of chemicals were strewn across the nearly every surface. It made his stomach sick just thinking about what it was all for.

Jonathan picked up a can. “You think they’re guzzling this shit?”

“Yeah, either that or they went on a hell of a cleaning spree.”

Hawthorne felt gross just looking at all the cans. “That doesn’t make any sense, though,” he said.

“Yeah. Last year, Will didn’t eat chemicals,” Max added. “Did you?”

Hawthorne was pretty sure he’d remember that part if he had. 

“No. This is something new.”

Mike seemed to have a solid theory about them making some new substance with the chemicals, which didn’t confuse him any less. 

“Can the Mind Flayer even do that?” Hawthorne asked. “I mean, keep people alive after downing...what...a ton of different chemicals.”

Will shrugged. “It’s hard to say what it could do. I don’t think it has that many limits.” That thought wasn’t unsettling at all.

Nancy led them into the dining room, where she found an empty bottle and a blood stain on the carpet. How quickly she put the pieces together astounded him. It always did. 

Hawthorne followed them to the next room where a rope laid. None of this was a good sign at all. And now they were going to have to find the source of this mess? This was the worst. 

“Mrs. Driscoll,” Will chimed in. “If she wants to go back so badly, why don’t we let her?”

Sure, it was their best shot, but Hawthorne didn’t have to like it. Already, he had lots of regrets about tagging along.


	7. Chapter 7

With climbing no longer a viable option, they were officially trapped in the elevator. There was no way to tell what time it was, but the kids clearly needed some rest, so they let Dustin and Erica sleep while they stayed up in the hopes of finding some way. It wasn’t going much better than before, so they gave up for a while. 

Sitting amidst the piles of boxes wasn’t exactly comfortable, but nothing about this situation was. River leaned against a stack of them, mentally exhausted. They still had no clue how to escape, nor did they have a way to contact anyone else.

“Can’t you, like, use your powers to - I don’t know - tell someone we’re down here?” Steve asked. He’d been fiddling with the controls, but it was still getting him nowhere.

River shook her head. “Not from this far. I’ve never done that before,” she said. “Besides, I’d probably just exhaust myself trying.”

“I feel like I’m missing something here,” Robin chimed in. She was sitting against a wall nearby, and she looked just as tired. “People don’t actually have powers.”

Annie shifted from her spot next to Robin. “Maybe it’s possible, though.”

River sighed. She hadn’t really considered that not everyone here was in the loop, but they were probably the best people to know.

“You know the lab out in the woods?” she asked. They nodded. “My brother and I escaped from there a few years ago. They were doing experiments and shit on a bunch of kids with powers.”

Robin looked like she wasn’t totally following, or that she totally believed it, but Annie seemed horrified. After today, she was sure this wouldn’t be the weirdest thing they’d hear or experience, though.

“Well, then it really looks like we’re trapped here,” Steve sighed. He plopped down next to her. He didn’t look much better than the rest of them, and she couldn’t help frowning at the way his shoulders slumped tiredly.

“We’ll figure something out,” she assured him. “There has to be something we can do.”

There was no way they could come up with a plan in this state, though. They were all so exhausted, and in no state to properly think of a solution.

Steve nodded. “Yeah. Get some sleep. I’ll keep watch for now.”

River wanted to protest. He looked like he needed it more than any of them, but he was stubborn, and she could already tell he wasn’t going to give in. 

Sleeping in an elevator wasn’t very comfortable by any means, but she managed to sleep for a while anyways. By the time she was up again, her body ached from the uncomfortable position she’d been in. She felt better, though. Her eyes felt less heavy, and she didn’t feel as groggy. 

Now, they were back to square one of coming up with a plan. Once again, it wasn’t going too well. 

Annie tried to give it a shot while they regrouped and tried to find a plan B. River helped out where she could, but she didn’t know where to start. Just as she was sure they should give up for now, Annie’s eyes lit up as she got an idea. 

River watched as she channeled a slight amount of electricity, to her amazement, but all she ended up doing was shocking herself. It didn’t work. She wasn’t the only one with powers, though, from the looks of it.

“You okay?” she asked.

Annie nodded. “You saw that?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think you had powers, too.” River kept her voice low. She probably wouldn’t appreciate the others finding out just yet.

“Yeah, well. I’m still figuring them out. I’m terrible with them,” she admitted. 

River shrugged. “It was worth a shot. Better than the rest of us have done so far.”

Dustin was still trying to get a message to someone on his walkie-talkie. His efforts were commendable, but still getting them nowhere. And Steve was already in a mood, not that she blamed him.   
Even as Robin took over trying to open the door, River felt like they weren’t getting anywhere on their own. What if they never got out?

She leaned against the door, sighing. The thought of rotting down here wasn’t very appealing, and it kind of stressed her out. If only the could get this stupid thing open. She was deep in thought when she lost her footing and fell backwards. Right through the door. 

River looked around, realizing she was on the other side. “Holy shit.” She didn’t even know she could do that.

“River?” She could hear Robin’s voice from the other side. “Are you okay?”

Physically, she was fine. She was just freaking out a little. “I’m fine. You saw that too, right?”

“Yeah. Can you do it again?”

That she wasn’t sure of. It was worth a try, though. River stood and brushed herself off before facing the door again. She placed her hand on the door and tried to focus on going through it again. To her amazement, she phased right through the door and stepped back into the elevator. 

Robin and Annie looked at her with wide eyes. “How did you do that?” Annie asked.

“I don’t know.” She’d never done that before, but maybe now she could help them out somehow. 

“Can you do that to get us out of here?” Dustin asked.

Seeing as she just figured all of this out about ten seconds ago, River wasn’t really sure she felt confident in her ability to test that out. Not right now, in the middle of a dire situation. “Maybe? But I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Before she could argue with Dustin, Robin hurried them up to the top of the elevator. “We’ve got company.”  
There was no time for debate. It was hard staying quiet with six of them, but they waited at the top as the door opened. River could make out two voices, clearly speaking Russian, for just a moment.

_“Do you smell that?”_

_“What?”_

_“Piss.”_

For just a moment, River thought Steve might have inadvertently blown their cover just because he couldn’t hold it in for a few more minutes. Thankfully, though, it seemed like both men passed it off as nothing and continued on.

Everyone stayed as quiet and still as they possibly could. They waited for a few seconds before jumping back down. They had to be quick with the door closing. Steve had taken one of the containers full of green liquid from Erica and stuck it between the door and the floor. He rushed everything through the opening, the kids going first.

With just their luck, Steve was the last one left when the door crushed the container, leaving him still inside the elevator.

“Great. Just great.” River could hear Steve give an aggravated sigh from the other side.

River was starting to realize this might be where she came in useful. The rest of them were on the other side trying to help him out, but it was no use. She had to try something that might not even work.

Bracing herself, she stepped through the door again. 

“Steve, take my hand.” River held her hand out to him as soon as she was inside, but he just stared at her like she was crazy.

“What?”

“Take my hand. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this one.”

Steve glanced between her and the door. “You mean...you’re taking us through the door?”

“Yeah, no shit. Do you want me to leave you in here or not?” Despite her words, she wouldn’t dare do that purposely. It was clear he was just as worried whether this would work, but Steve eventually gave in and took hold of her hand.

There was no telling what would happen if she screwed this up, but River pushed her worries aside and concentrated as she led him through the door. To her surprise, and everyone else’s the two of them made it through just fine. 

Relieved, and maybe even proud, Steve let the tension leave his body and pulled her into a hug. It only lasted a moment before the two of them realized and broke apart.

Steve cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

River laughed at how embarrassed he looked and nodded. “Any time, Harrington.”

Now that everyone was safe again, Dustin brought their attention to the tunnel that stretched for what seemed like miles. 

“Hope you guys are in shape,” Steve said, starting down the tunnel.

River sighed and followed, already knowing she was going to hate every second of this. The tunnel felt even longer than it looked. And even though she walked everywhere on a normal basis, she was so exhausted that she wasn’t sure how she was even managing to stand.

For the most part, River was on autopilot while she listened to them go back and forth. 

“You think they built this whole mall just so they could transport that green poison?”

Dustin shook his head. “I very seriously doubt it’s something as boring as poison. It’s gotta be much more valuable, like promethium or something.”

“What the hell is promethium?”

“It’s what Victor Stone’s dad used to make Cyborg’s bionic and cybernetic components,” Robin explained.

“You’re all so nerdy, it makes me physically ill.”

“No no no, don’t lump me in with them,” Steve insisted. “I’m not a nerd, alright?”

River raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with being a nerd, Harrington?”

Steve struggled to answer without looking like an idiot. “I’m just saying, I don’t know jack shit about Prometheus.”

There he was, doing that thing again. He always managed to say something stupid, but the frustrating part was that River knew better. Steve was much smarter than he liked to make himself sound. 

While Robin was distracted rambling to Annie and Erica, wondering why Hawkins was the Russian’s set up, Dustin turned to River and Steve.

“Do you think the Russians know?”

“About the-”

“They could.”

“So it’s connected?”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t know, but it’s possible.”

Steve turned to River, a curious look on his face. “Do you know if there’s any connection between all of this?”

She hadn’t heard anything, not that she’d been trying, so there was no way for her to know for sure. “Unfortunately, no. I could try digging around in some of their heads, but I can’t promise I’ll find anything,” River said. 

“I’m sorry, is there something, you two would like to share with the class?”

They finally turned back to find Robin waiting for them. She certainly looked annoyed and curious, and Annie just looked confused. Just as they were all debating whether to share, the walkie-talkie went off in Erica’s backpack. It was the same code Dustin picked up. They paused as she pulled it out.

It dawned on River that this might be their chance to get help, and the others seemed to be on the same page.

“Wherever that broadcast is coming from-” Dustin started.

“It’s close,” Robin agreed. “And if there’s one thing we know about that signal?”

“It can reach the surface.”

That was all the hope they needed. It was decided then and there that they would have to try getting a hold of the radio. Not what they were much closer to the end of the tunnel, there was a lot more sneaking involved. In theory, it seemed easy enough. In practice? It was much harder. River wasn’t sure how they were succeeding. She almost expected to be caught a few times.

“Okay, clear.” Steve gestured for them to follow as he stepped out from their hiding spot. 

“That was close.”

“Too close.”

Steve didn’t seem as worried. “Relax. No one saw.” He paused as he turned a corner. Just feet away from them was a whole room full of scientists, all clearly determined and very busy. Worst of all, there were guards posted everywhere. 

Now aware of how easily they could be spotted, they ducked and found cover again. River could feel a surge of adrenaline, but she wasn’t really a fan of it right now. There were so many ways this could go horribly wrong.

Erica finally seemed to have an epiphany. “I saw it,” she whispered. “First floor, northwest.”

“Saw what?” Steve asked.

“The comms room.”

River could hardly believe what she was hearing, but it gave her some sense of relief. Even if they weren’t totally sure it was the right room. It was a risk they had to take, though Steve was hesitant to give in.

“Alright. We’re gonna move fast, we’re gonna stay low,” he insisted. “Okay?”

Everyone was thankfully on the same page, and Steve led them away from their hiding spot. It was too late to back out now. River followed at the back of the group, keeping low and playing as the lookout. The last thing they needed was to get caught so close to the comms room.

Steve stopped them just a few feet away from the door, just out of view from anyone nearby. Once the coast was clear, he led them inside the room, quietly hurrying them in as he held the door open.

For just a moment, this felt like a big victory for them. Something was going right. Until they turned and spotted a man sitting at the controls. River couldn’t help feeling this was where it all went downhill.

The man threw off his headphones and stood, ready to stop them. Robin tried to stall by reciting the code, and her attempt was certainly admirable. It wasn’t going anywhere, but before River could step in to help, Steve rushed at him, screaming.

It all happened so fast that it was hard to keep up with them. Steve was doing better than she would have hoped. He managed to knock out the Russian, which was a whole step up from his fight with Billy last year.

“Dude, you did it!” Dustin exclaimed, all too excited to see Steve win. “You won a fight!”

River couldn’t deny that she was greatly impressed. “Holy shit.” Steve looked all too proud of himself, if not a bit surprised. 

Dustin grabbed the keycard, their best bet in getting anywhere in this hellhole. River tuned out his arguing with Erica, sharing a look of exasperation with Annie. She decided to let the two of them go at it when Annie turned to Robin, who’d wandered off. Curiously, River turned to see what was going on as Robin rushed back over. 

“Guys! There’s something up there.”

At the end of a flight of steps, there was a door that looked innocent enough if you didn’t count all the eerie flashing. They quietly made it past the door and looked through the glass.

River couldn’t believe what she was seeing with her own two eyes. Scientists were gathered around control panels, and there were others beyond the control room dressed in radiation suits of some sort. Most impressive of all was the machine spewing what must have been a very high powered laser. It was being fueled by the green liquid they found in the elevator. The worst part was how quickly she realized the machine was firing at what looked like the gate to the Upside Down. Just their luck. But now they knew for certain that everything was connected in some twisted way.


	8. Chapter 8

Somehow, Hawthorne was stuck sitting in the waiting room, watching over the kids. He supposed someone had to look after them, especially since Nancy and Jonathan decided they’d be the ones to visit Mrs. Driscoll.

He was sitting next to El, who was reading a magazine, mostly flipping through and glancing at the pictures. He’d already heard about her break up with Mike, and he didn’t need to be able to read her mind to know it was bothering her. Especially when he’d caught her glancing over in Mike’s direction a few times. 

“How are you holding up?” Hawthorne asked. El glanced up at him, a confused look on her face. “You know, with you and Mike?”

El shrugged. “Okay.”

As she turned back to her magazine, he debated exactly how to help her out. It wasn’t exactly Mike’s fault, though he hadn’t been the smartest either. Hawthorne remembered what Hopper said about his “talk” with Mike, and he couldn’t help feeling that was the real problem here. Not that he was surprised. Even he was a bit annoyed with Hopper handling this the way he had.

“You know, I think you two should talk,” he finally said. “I mean, you both seem miserable without each other?”

“Miserable?” El set her magazine down, clearly wondering what he was getting at. 

“You know, like...sad. But, like, really sad,” Hawthorne explained. “If you two don’t talk to each other, I’m sure it could get a lot worse.”

She at least appeared to be considering her words. Sure, he didn’t know how solid his own advice was, but he was a little tired of watching them tip-toe around each other. He could practically see the wheels turning in her head. “Like Nancy and Jonathan.”

Hawthorne sighed, slumping in his seat. “Yeah, something like that,” he said. “They’re working it out, but it happens. Fights happen.” It wasn’t like he was some expert on relationships, and he didn’t really know where all of this was coming from, but he hoped it was helping her, even if only a bit.

Turning to her, Hawthorne gave El a reassuring smile. “Just don’t hold a grudge against him, okay? Most guys your age do dumb things.” He was glad that part earned a laugh from her. “Hell, I do dumb things all the time.”

For all his attempts to keep Nancy and Jonathan together, it was taking a toll on him. And, though it was taking some time, it seemed like the two of them were finally making progress. There was still some understanding needing to be reached, but it was something. He didn’t plan on mediating forever. Eventually, they’d have to own up to their own mistakes - they both had some apologizing to do, he was sure - and he was just glad to help kick-start the process. If anything, he didn’t want El and Mike to let this sour their relationship. They were kids, and they deserved to learn from their mistakes just as much as anyone else. 

Hawthorne let his advice sink in and left when Mike came over to talk with El. He was more than happy to give them space to work things out, though he made a mental note to have a talk with Hopper about the mess he’d made.

By now, he was starting to realize Nancy and Jonathan had been gone for a while. And maybe there was nothing to worry about, but he had an awful feeling. It was sitting in his gut, constantly pestering him. With how easily things went to shit again, Hawthorne hoped they were okay. It occurred to him to check on them, but there was no way he was going to get past the receptionist. And if he did manage that and it turned out he was worrying for nothing, he would just feel like an idiot.

Just as his anxiety was starting to get the best of him, the lights started flickering. Normally, Hawthorne might pass it off as nothing, but that usually wasn’t a good sign. He’d learned that by now. Thankfully, he wasn’t the only one to notice, and even worse was how jumpy Will was. The poor kid looked pale and unbelievably freaked out. It was becoming abundantly clear to Hawthorne that he may well have been right to be worried.

Will’s shaky, “he’s here,” was enough for it to dawn on Hawthorne that this was about to get pretty intense, as much as he hated it.

At the very least, they’d missed the action so far, but neither Nancy nor Jonathan looked like they were in very good shape. And as soon as they explained everything that happened, they were off to the cabin. 

Rex came running over when Hawthorne let them all inside, and El ended up locking herself in her room as she tried to track the flayed. Hawthorne tried to busy himself with feeding Rex while everyone else was working out their plans. In the grand scheme of things, he wasn’t sure how to help, and he felt pretty useless. He’d hardly done anything to help. If only he could stop being a coward for just a minute, he might be able to contribute something. 

He’d been so deep in thought that he’d accidentally spilled some of the dog food. His only response was a deep sigh as he moved to clean it up. Hawthorne looked up when he noticed Nancy trying to help. She opened her mouth to speak a few times, trying to find her words.

“Are you okay?” Nancy asked. 

If there were any words to describe how he was feeling, “okay” was not one of them. “Fine,” Hawthorne lied, standing again.

It was clear she didn’t totally believe him. Even when they finished cleaning, she didn’t let up. “If this about what’s been happening between Jonathan and I, I’m really sorry you got caught in the middle of it.”

Sure, that might have been part of his stress, but he had no clue how to even explain everything that was going on in his head. It was so much more than that.

“No. I mean, not really.” Hawthorne sighed, looking down. “I guess I’m just stressed out with everything that’s been happening. After last time, I really hoped all of this was behind on.”

The concerned look on her face only made him feel bad for putting all of this on her. Nancy had much bigger things to worry about. Seeming to sense his apprehension, she took his hand and made him look her in the eyes.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, okay?” Whether it was true or not, he almost believed her. “We’ll get through this just like last time.”

“Nance, I don’t even know where my sister is, or if she’s even okay. I don’t know where Hop is either, and I feel like I’m doing a terrible job of keeping it together.”

Nancy paused for a moment before asking, “You saw it, didn’t you? When you were walking in the parking lot?”

Hawthorne had almost forgotten about his vision, but he could never forget the dread he felt in that moment. “Yeah. It wasn’t much, really,” he admitted. “But I freaked out.” If it came down to it, he wasn’t sure if he’d really be able to help any of them. This was worse than last year, and he just knew that, given the chance, he’d freeze. Just like he always did.

Somehow, Nancy always had a way of making him feel better, and this was no exception. “You’re stressing yourself out too much,” she said. “Don’t forget. You’re not alone. You have me, Jonathan, the kids, your family. None of us will ever make you deal with this alone.”

Deep down, he knew that. It felt good to hear it, though. Sometimes, he needed a reminder that he wasn’t carrying all of this weight alone. 

Hawthorne offered a slight smile as she kissed him on the cheek. Now that he was feeling at least somewhat better, he let her get back to planning. He let her borrow the phone in the meantime, and he actually managed to feed Rex. The poor dog probably needed it. Hawthorne was feeding him as regularly as possible in all this mess, but he felt bad for leaving him for so long every now and then.

Just as Hawthorne was settled, Nancy finished her final phone call, none of which produced any results. It wasn’t looking so good. With no clue where any of the flayed were, they had no clue what they were doing. It was like they’d just disappeared, and they weren’t any closer to finding the source of the flaying.

Worse still was the argument happening between Mike and Max. Hawthorne didn’t feel so inclined to agree with either of them, no matter how much they yelled. Realistically, both of them were right. He’d learned the hard way that even if they explained to El how damaging it could be to push herself, that didn’t mean it would stop her. Mike was very adamant on finding a new plan, though, and Hawthorne couldn’t blame him. El had been locked up for quite some time now looking for the flayed.

“You’re treating her like some kind of machine when she’s not a machine, and I don’t want her to die looking for the flayed when they’ve obviously vanished off the face of the earth,” Mike snapped. “So can we please just come up with a new plan? Because I love her, and I can’t lose her again.”

His words were met with silence as they sank in. Hawthorne could hardly believe what he’d heard, but Mike said it with such confidence and conviction that it was almost frightening. 

Before anyone could say more, El finally came out of her room. She looked fine, if not a bit exhausted, and Hawthorne thanked whatever omnipotent being there may or may not be that she was okay. 

“What’s going on?” El asked, glancing at each of them curiously.

Mike was quick to cover for them. “Nothing. Nothing.”

“Just a family discussion,” Lucas added.

“Oh.” El seemed satisfied enough with their answer, even if she didn’t totally believe it. “I found him.”

* * *

El usually needed some quiet when she was tracking. The TV was turned on, only playing static for her, and her blindfold was back on. Everyone was trying to stay quiet for her sake in the hopes she would find something. 

Thankfully, she found Billy, just like she’d said, though they didn’t have much to go off of with the information she had. He was sitting in his room, which Max confirmed wasn’t normal. It was clearly a trap.

But El was insistent that she might know a way to figure out where he’d been, and while Hawthorne didn’t want her to push herself, he knew it was the only way to get anywhere. They hadn’t been having any success on their own. 

After taking a break, El put the blindfold back on and tried to look again. 

Hawthorne sighed and sat back while she gave it another go. “So, what do we do if this doesn’t work?” he asked quietly, trying not to bother El.

“Don’t you have powers?” Mike asked. “Can’t you help somehow?”

Nancy gave him a stern look. “Mike.”

“We’ve never seen him use them. Maybe he just doesn’t have any,” Lucas said.

“If they took him to the lab, he has to have them.”

Hawthorne raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, hi. Standing right here.”

“Well, do you?” Mike asked.

There was no way around this. Hawthorne was going to have to explain himself eventually, and he knew that. 

“Yeah. It’s just...not a good idea for me to use them,” he claimed.

“But whatever it is you can do, it might help El.”

“I haven’t used them in years. The last time I did that things went wrong.”

“We can’t push everything onto her, though. She’s going to wear herself out.”

“You told her you’d trust her, though.”

“And I do, but I know she could use the help.”

Max finally cut in. “Okay, seriously. You’re gonna break El’s concentration.”

Hawthorne and Mike finally shut up, but they gave each other one last look of disdain. Nancy pulled him and Jonathan over to the kitchen where they wouldn’t bother El.

“Hey, don’t worry about him, okay? He’s just worried,” she said. 

Hawthorne sighed, leaning against the counter. “I know. I get it,” he replied. “I’m just as worried she’s going to wear herself thin, but I don’t think I’d even be all that helpful.”

“What happened the last time you used your powers?” Jonathan asked. “It sounded like it was pretty bad.”

That felt like the understatement of the year. But if he trusted anyone with this, it was both of them. He might as well get it off his chest.

“I just...they made us do a lot of tests, you know? The scientists liked to up the stakes each time, and they’d already learned a lot about my powers. I really just tried to go along with what they asked of me because it was better that way.” Hawthorne swallowed dryly. “Whenever I touch people - any sort of skin contact - I absorb their strength, memories, abilities, sometimes even pieces of their personality. But it always wears off eventually, and they just pass out until it wears off.

“One time, I guess the scientists were curious what would happen if I tried it on one of the other kids. Maybe I could absorb their powers. And they were right. It worked the first few times, and it only lasted about half an hour at most. They’d always be fine afterwards. But one time, it didn’t go that way at all. There was this kid they had me try it out on and-” Hawthorne almost couldn’t finish, but he dismissed their looks of concern, trying to press on. “It didn’t wear off that time. And he went into a coma. Pretty sure he didn’t make it.”

Jonathan placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring look. “How long did it take to wear off?” he asked.

“It didn’t.” Hawthorne avoided their eyes, knowing he’d break down otherwise. “I still have his powers. I don’t use them, but I could any time. It’s kind of been eating at me.”

They shared a look, almost seeming to debate if they should ask him anything else. But he knew they’d stop if he really asked them to. 

Nancy finally braved one more question. “What exactly were his powers?”

Hawthorne hesitated. “Shapeshifting.”

In his mind, it wasn’t anything monumental. Nor was it going to do them any good. And while he had his powers mostly under control by now, he wasn’t sure how he’d feel about knocking anyone else out if he didn’t have to. 

Before he could go into it any further, El announced she’d found the source. They raced over as Max asked where it was. 

“Brimborn...Steelworks.”

Jonathan grabbed the phone book and flipped through the pages in a hurry. “Found it. 6522 Cherry Oak Drive.”

“That’s close,” Nancy realized.

El still hadn’t come back yet, which was beyond worrying. Mike was trying to call her back, but it didn’t seem like she could just yet. There wasn’t anything they could do to bring her back. She had to do it herself, but it didn’t look like she was ready yet. 

The room went silent as they waited hopefully for her to get out of there. El finally threw off the blindfold, screaming. 

Hawthorne felt his heart sink when she started crying, throwing herself into Mike’s arms. He raced back to the kitchen and grabbed her a glass of water as Mike calmed her down. They made her sit down and take a drink, giving her enough time to bounce back from whatever she saw. 

Hawthorne was taken by surprise as she clung onto him, clearly exhausted and scared beyond belief. He tried to calm her down, wrapping his arms around her as he let her cry. If he was having any doubts before, they were only growing and settling in his mind, but he would never back out on any of them, but least of all El. Mike had been right about her needing all the help she could get.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean for this chapter to get so long, but I hope you guys like it anyways

With the gate now in the equation, there was a lot for River to process. She was thankful that Steve and Dustin were on the same page. If the Russians were trying to open the gate, this could go from bad to worse.

They rushed back down the stairs again, an air of urgency hanging over them. 

“I don’t understand. You’ve seen this before?” Robin asked. Her confusion and concern was valid, but there was hardly time to get into it. There was far too much to explain and so little time.

“Not exactly,” Steve said.

“Then what exactly?”

“All you need to know is it’s bad,” Dustin added.

Steve nodded and turned to Robin. “It’s really bad.”

“Like, end-of-the-human-race-as-we-know-it kind of bad.” 

“And you know about this how?”

There was no chance to explain, even if they wanted to, because Erica caught their attention when she realized something was wrong. “Um, Steve? Where’s your Russian friend?”

They’d left the guy in the middle of the floor after Steve knocked him out, and now he was nowhere to be seen. River sighed. She’d expected things to go south, but not this quickly. 

An alarm blared loudly, which was probably their sign to get moving. Steve rushed over to the door and peeked out. He must not have seen anything good, because he didn’t waste any time in rushing them back up the stairs. Not the best move, but it was their only escape right now.

They made the brave decision to head through the door, right into the room housing the giant laser they’d seen earlier. There was any time to doubt, only to run and hope for the best. The guards weren’t too far behind them, and Steve hung at the back of the group to make sure there were no stragglers.

They ended up right next to the laser, which was probably the last place they should be. Even over how loud it was, River could hear Dustin freaking out, which was exactly how she was feeling on the inside. Steve found a set of stairs and rushed them over, thwarting off any oncoming guards. 

River rushed the others to follow after him, making sure everyone was keeping up. Annie was the last one down before she ran after them, right into another room. Steve planted his feet and pushed his weight against the door, but it was only doing them so much good. With how many guards were on the other side, he needed some help. 

Dustin and Erica found the hatch in the floor as River helped Steve keep the door closed for as long as possible. They were already scrambling to open the hatch and jump in as Robin and Annie tried to help with the door. Even with all four of them, it wasn’t going so well. There were just way too many guards. 

Erica was already on her way through the hatch when Dustin paused to hurry the rest of them over. “Come on!”

“Go! Just get out of here!” Steve urged. “Just go get some help, okay?”

“I won’t forget you!” Dustin finally replied. 

“Go!”

Just as Dustin made it to safety, the guards finally broke through their makeshift barricade, if you could even really call it that. The four of them crashed to the floor and put their hands up as guns were being pointed right at them. Everything was suddenly much worse than River could have hoped.

* * *

Being tied up in and interrogated was not exactly how River was hoping this adventure would go. Her and Annie had been separated from Steve and Robin, and who could even tell what was happening to those two?

They’d worked together to construct a lie in the hopes they might be let go. But after being left in this bleak, featureless room for a few minutes now, it was clear none of the Russians believed them at all. Being tied in a chair with their backs together wasn’t the worst position they could be in, but River couldn’t help praying that Dustin and Erica got them some help.

“Sorry you got roped into the shittiest adventure in the world,” River sighed. She was sure this was going to traumatize Annie forever, and someone had to apologize for that. As odd of a sentiment as it was, she knew exactly what it was like to suddenly get pulled into a life-threatening mess.

“It’s fine,” Annie said. “This is a lot more exciting than anything I would be doing right now, for better or for worse.”

River laughed dryly, nodding, even though she wouldn’t be able to see it. “Don’t worry. I thought I’d be spending my summer playing with my dog and hanging out with my family. Guess I should learn better than to get my hopes up.”

There was a silence between them that hung heavy for only a brief moment, broken only when Annie finally asked, “Does this shit happen to you guys a lot?”

“Unfortunately. You should have seen last year. Almost being turned into monster food was just as much fun as any of this is.” River couldn’t help reminiscing, and thought this was an impossible situation to be stuck in, in that moment in the junkyard, she’d thought it couldn’t get worse. Clearly, she’d been wrong.

“Monsters?”

“Yeah, it’s a little hard to explain. But there were so many of these things - Dustin calls them Demodogs - and Steve...god...he really tried to take them all on himself.” The memory, while feeling like a total nightmare, almost felt like a fond one. She remembered being terrified for Steve. “You know, I spent so much time cooped up in my room, reading as many comic books as I could get my hands on, just so fascinated by the idea of superheroes. I truly think Steve is the closest I’ve seen to a real superhero.” Whether she realized it or not, she meant that wholeheartedly.

River realized just how sappy that must sound, but she couldn’t help the soft smile on her face as she remembered everything they went through together. 

“You really like him, huh?” Annie had clearly caught on, not that it was hard. 

River nodded. “Yeah, I do.” She’d noticed how close Steve and Robin had gotten, though, and she wasn’t holding out too much hope.

“I know I’m not one to talk, but why don’t you just tell him?”

“He probably likes Robin,” she said. “And that’s fine. I mean, I get it. Steve deserves to be happy, and if that means he ends up with her, I’m okay with that.” It would hurt, sure, but she’d get over it eventually. He really deserved for _something_ to go right in his life.

River heard a buzz as the door opened, cutting off anything Annie might have been ready to say. The Russians returned, this time with an extra person. A doctor of some sort, though probably not the good kind. 

“Let’s try this again.” The man in charge signaled to the doctor, who was holding something that didn’t look too fun. Whatever he planned to inject them with couldn’t be good.

“Wait, woah, what’s that?” Annie exclaimed.

“It will help you talk. Maybe then you will tell the truth.”

After all the things she’d been put through in Hawkins Lab, River wasn’t a huge fan of needles, so her immediate reaction was to panic. “No, no, no, wait!” She didn’t get a chance to protest further before she was being injected with whatever that stuff was, and she hissed in pain. Annie was next. 

Despite the unpleasantness, it felt like nothing had happened. In fact, River felt fine. They were left alone for a while, probably to let whatever they’d been injected with take effect. 

“You know, this actually doesn’t feel so bad,” River admitted.

Annie nodded. “Yeah, I actually feel really good.” She giggled.

River laughed, nodding. “This is great.” 

They went into a laughing fit, probably having the best time ever despite being stuck in an interrogation room. It was hard to say just how much time had passed, but it couldn’t have been too long before an alarm blared. River and Annie turned to each other curiously, at least as much as they could while being tied up. For a moment, they sat there, wondering what was happening. 

Dustin came charging in, the other three close behind. He made quick work of untying both of them, and when River finally stood, she felt a little dizzy. “Come on, let’s go!” He didn’t give them much time to get their bearings before running off again. 

They had to take one of the carts, knowing they wouldn’t be very fast on foot. River wasn’t sure why they were trusting Dustin to drive them. He was in such a hurry that she’d almost hit her head a few times.

“Jesus, slow down!” Steve slurred.

“Yeah, what is this, like, the Indy 500?” Robin agreed.

“It’s the Indy 300.”

“No, dingus, it’s 500!”

“300!”

“Let’s say a million.”

They burst into laughter, causing River and Annie to join in. With how drugged and giggly they were, they almost didn’t notice Dustin crash, except for how much it hurt when they flew back.

“What the hell?” River mumbled, rubbing her head. 

Dustin turned back to check on them. “You guys okay?” he asked. They very much were not okay. He quickly got out and opened up the back door. “Come on.”

River barely registered his words until him and Erica were literally pulling them out of the cart. “Okay, ow! Hold on!” She stumbled out and tried not to fall over right away.

Dustin opened up the elevator for them and hurried them back inside. The ride up felt much more fun this time around, though that was probably from being high off their asses.

Steve and Robin thought it would be pretty cool to mess with the dolly cart sitting inside. “You look like you’re surfing!” Robin pointed out. 

Steve went tumbling to the floor as she laughed. River couldn’t help snickering at the spill he’d taken and how funny it looked from where she was sitting. Dustin bent over him, trying to check on him despite all of the fussing and struggling on Steve’s end.

“His pupils are super dilated.”

“Maybe he’s drugged.”

“Steve, are you drugged?” Dustin asked.

Steve shook his head. “I told you, dad. I don’t do drugs. It’s only marijuana.”

River snorted, a slight grin on her face. “Don’t forget the cigarettes. I’ve got some in my back pocket.”

“No way. You’ve had them this whole time?” Steve asked.

“Yep.”

Dustin groaned, clearly tired of dealing with them. “This isn’t funny, you two. I need to know what they did to you. Are you gonna die on us?”

Steve only responded by booping Dustin on the nose.

“We all die, my strange little child friend,” Robin chimed in. “It’s just a matter of how and when.”

Dustin had no clue how to respond and ignored her. “They’re gonna be looking for us up there, so I need you to tell me where you parked your car,” he insisted.

“Oh, can we make up a pit stop at the food court?” Steve asked.

“I would kill for a hot dog on a stick,” Robin agreed.

River gasped. “I have been dying for a burger this whole time.” She was sure her stomach growled a few times while they were stuck here.

“Alright, yeah, food,” Dustin agreed, attempting to get them back on track. “You can have as much food as you want, but only if you tell me where your car is parked.”

“Uh oh.”

“Uh oh?”

“The car’s off the board.”

“What?”

“They took the keys.” Steve flipped his pockets inside-out as proof. “The Russians, they took the keys. Like, forever ago.” Robin and Annie laughed, leaning against each other to keep from falling. 

Steve laughed along. “That’s a bummer, right?”

As soon as they were outside the elevator, River sighed in relief. “Oh, good. Hello, fresh air.” There wasn’t much time to enjoy it, though, before Dustin spotted more guards and pushed them into the side door. Having to run again was the worst, and all she wanted to do was have a moment to relax and enjoy how good she felt right now. Who knew when she’d get that chance again?

Dustin snuck them into the theater and made them all sit down, quietly telling them to stay put despite the protesting on how close they were to the front. He was clearly becoming aggravated and had to be shushed by the other movie-goers. 

“Whatever you do, don’t go anywhere,” he said, giving them a stern look.

“Fine, dad,” Steve retorted. 

Dustin left them to find seats for him and Erica. For many reasons, River had absolutely no clue what was happening in this movie, though she was enjoying herself. She stole some of the popcorn Steve found, not really questioning where he got it, and maybe that was for the best. 

At some point, they all agreed to sneak out and get some water, totally ignoring Dustin’s rule from earlier. Taking turns at the water fountain shouldn’t have been a difficult task, but they sure made it one. 

“So, like, I wasn’t totally focused in there or anything,” Robin said out of nowhere, “but I’m pretty sure that mom was trying to bang her son.”

“Wait, wait, the hot chick was Alex P. Keaton’s mom?” Steve asked from where he was slumped over the water fountain.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure.”

“But they’re the same age.”

“No, but he went back in time.”

“Then why is it called Back to the Future?”

Robin groaned. “Because, he has to go _back_ to the future because he’s in the past,” she explained. “So, the future is actually the present, which is his time.”

Steve was silent for a moment, failing to process everything she’d just said. “Wh...what?”

River was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall as Annie leaned next to her. She looked up in confusion. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

Having waited long enough, Robin finally pushed Steve out of the way so she could drink next. Now that he was letting her have her turn, Steve found himself staring up at the ceiling in awe. He grabbed their attention and gestured them over.

“You gotta check this out,” he said. “The ceiling, it’s beautiful.” 

River finally heaved herself back on her feet and stood next to him, curious to see what he was going on about. She looked up and gasped, immediately noticing what he was pointing out. It was like the ceiling was shimmering.

“Oh, that’s pretty,” River agreed.

It was almost too much, and soon enough, they all ran to the bathroom, finding the nearest stall. River sat hunched over a toilet, puking her guts out. Her throat burned, and her head was pounding way too much. She let herself get everything out of her system until she was sure she had nothing left. Flushing the toilet, she slouched against the wall, suddenly feeling gross.

Once she was feeling better enough to move, she slid under the stall to check on Annie, who was thankfully done vomiting. “How are you feeling?” she asked. 

Annie groaned. “Like someone ran me over,” she said. “Again, and again, and again.”

River gave her an apologetic smile and leaned back against the stall wall. “Yeah, sorry this has been the worst day ever.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, nothing’s ever gonna top this.” Annie was silent for a moment, thinking. “You really should tell Steve.”

Not wanting Steve to hear, River lowered her voice. “Okay, no. Not happening,” she whispered. “I told you, he probably - no, definitely likes Robin. It’s cool. I’m fine with it.” She sighed, resting her head in her hands.

Annie placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring look. “Hey, I get it. You don’t think you have a chance. But you’ll never know if you don’t try.”

“Sounds like you would know.” She mostly meant it as a joke, but the look on Annie’s face said she was right. “Holy shit, there is someone, huh?”

She sat up straighter and let Annie take her time before explaining. “Okay, I’m really trusting you here with this one, but...I really like Robin.” She kept her voice low. 

“Oh, shit.” River was surprised, but wasn’t trying to make it a huge deal. “I mean, yeah. I get it. I just guess I didn’t see that one coming.”

“I have for a while now,” she admitted. “We’ve hung out a lot since we have Drama class together.”

River nodded. “I guess we’re both stuck in the same shitty situation, huh?” Despite her dashed hopes, she felt maybe Annie had it worse. Having to hope someone like Robin wasn’t straight must have been torture. And she understood that. There had been a few girls River felt that way about, but she never would have been brave enough.

“I get it, you know?” she finally said. “When I first started high school, I was so lost and hopeless. But there was one girl I remember having the biggest crush on her. Carol Perkins.”

Annie scrunched her nose in disgust. “Seriously?”

River shrugged. “Yeah. Obviously that didn’t last too long, considering Carol’s kinda the worst sometimes. But I guess it was at that point I realized the whole gender thing didn’t really matter to me that much. I can’t even begin to tell you how many crushes I’ve had.”

“Steve’s different, though, isn’t he?”

He was so different than anyone else. As much as she said she’d be fine, knowing he didn’t return her feelings might hurt the most. More than it hurt when it came to anyone else. But she’d managed through so much pain her whole life, emotional and physical. She’d make it through this one.

“Yeah, he is.”

They were silent for a moment, only really catching the last bit of conversation between Steve and Robin. It was enough to give them both some hope, though. Not wanting her to waste this chance, River urged Annie to go over and talk to Robin. 

Just as she finally got her to leave the stall, River sat back, watching as Steve slid under the stall to join her. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

Neither of them really knew what to say right now. River’s brain was still muddled from her high, but she felt better at least.

“You know, I think today marks the second time now that you’ve saved me,” Steve said. “First the Demodogs, and now I’ve gone through a door.” 

She’d been so proud in the moment for managing something like that, especially when it might not have worked. “Someone had to.”

With all of the chaos, River hadn’t truly had a moment to look at him. Steve looked awful. His face was bloody and bruised, and his uniform was stained with what she could only assume was his own blood.

“How are you feeling?” she asked. “And I mean really.”

Steve sighed, knowing better than to lie through the pain to her. It was obvious he wasn’t in a good state right now. 

“Being tortured by a bunch of evil Russians isn’t the highlight of my life, but it could be worse.”

“Worse? Steve, they really put you through a beating.” She took his hand, trying not to get too worked up. “Look, I get that you think you have to push aside everything you’re feeling, but you don’t. Not around me.”

He looked taken aback, but he at least seemed to appreciate her kind words. “You know, if we didn’t both just puke, I’d kiss you.”

Those were certainly not the words she imagined coming out of his mouth. It threw her off, and she was sure she looked as shocked as she felt.

Steve gave her hand a small squeeze, mustering up the courage to go on. “Look, I know everything is kind of a mess right now, but I really do like you, River. Maybe it took me a while to realize it, but you’ve stuck with me through everything,” he said.

“Steve-”

“No, no, just listen, okay? I thought I was so expendable, but you were always there worried about me. And I don’t know anyone else who would deal with a loud, obnoxious Christmas party just to keep me company, or come to my basketball games.” Steve smiled softly, and he looked so genuine, even with his face beaten up as much as it was. “If things don’t get a thousand times worse, I really wanna make all that up to you.”

River was trying so hard to process that this was all very real. It seemed like such a dream, and she was almost tempted to pinch herself to find out. “How do you plan on doing that?” she asked.

“I figure a date would be a great place to start. And, if you’ll give me a chance, maybe more than just the one.”

Admittedly, that sounded like a great plan. She could never turn that down after all her hoping and dreaming the last few days. 

“I think I’d really like that.” She smiled and pulled him into a hug. It would have to do, because as ecstatic as she was right now, they really had just puked everything up a few minutes ago.

Dustin finally burst in with Erica close behind him. “Okay, what the hell? I told you guys not to go anywhere.” As soon as he got over his initial irritation, and maybe a small lecture, he hurried them out again.By the time they were sneaking out, everyone was just coming out of the theaters. It was the perfect chance to blend in. 

River stuck close as they joined the crowd, trying not to look suspicious, as hard as that felt. Dustin planned to get them all to his house where they could make a plan from there.

“Uh, Dustin? We might not wanna go to your house.”

“Why”

“Well, I might have told them your full name,” he admitted.

Dustin turned, his eyes wide. “What is wrong with you?”

“Dude, I was drugged.”

“So? You resist. You tough it out. You tough it out like a man.” Steve and Dustin argued back and forth until they spotted the Russian checking everyone a few yards away. 

“Abort.”

They ran back the way they came, dodging people as they headed towards the escalators. Just their luck, they were powered down. They went with the next best thing and slid down between the escalators. 

Now that they’d been spotted, they had to hide, and the first good place they could find was behind the counter of one of the shops in the food court. It was nerve-wracking having to wait as the mall was closed down. The Russians locked up the entrances, and they had to stay as quiet as possible.

River was trying to think of anything she could do to help them, but it was hard to think when her brain was still getting used to not being drugged anymore. It was clear they’d caught onto them, and the pressure was making it harder for her to come up with a plan. Just as they thought they might be done for, a car alarm went off, making quite the commotion. It seemed to serve as enough of a distraction, and River barely peeked her head over the counter when the car went flying, taking out all the Russians.

Standing on the balcony above them was El and the rest of the party. River had never felt so relieved to see her sister. She quickly ran around the counter as they were coming down the escalator.

River pulled El into a tight hug. “Thank you. Oh my god, I’m so glad to see you.” They held each other for a moment before she let Dustin come in for a hug as well. She was equally relieved to see Hawthorne was okay, at least physically. Seeing Rex trailing along beside him was a surprise, but she didn’t question it right away.

Without saying anything, she pulled him in for a hug as well. “Are you guys okay?” he asked. “Because I’m panicking on the inside, but it seems like you’ve been up to a lot, too.”

River knew his anxiety could get the best of him, and she was quick to reassure him that she was fine, at least for the most part. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“I don’t understand what happened to that car,” Robin chimed in.

“El has superpowers,” Dustin explained. 

“I’m sorry?”

“Superpowers. Like River has. She threw it with her mind, catch up,” Steve said.

There was so much explaining to be done. Dustin’s code red has only partially gone through, so everyone was just a little confused. In the middle of catching everyone up, El collapsed, and they rushed over to see what was wrong.  
“El, are you okay?” River asked. “What’s wrong?”

“My leg,” she groaned, seemingly on the verge of tears. “My leg.”

Jonathan was quick to undo the wrapping around her leg, which looked awfully bloody and maimed. River nearly gagged just seeing how awful her wound looked. Even worse was the fact that it looked like something was moving around. El’s pained screams broke her heart, and she took her hand, trying to keep her calm. It looked really bad, though.

“Keep her talking. Keep her awake, okay?” Jonathan ran off to find something that would help.

River swallowed down her worries and tried to keep El as calm as possible. “You’re gonna be okay, sweetie. Just hold on a second okay?” She only received more wails of pain in response, and she prayed Jonathan would find some way to help. They tried to move her carefully in the meantime.

Jonathan came back with a wooden spoon and a knife. “Alright, El. This is gonna hurt like hell, okay? I need you to stay real still.” Handed her the spoon. “You’re gonna wanna bite down on this.”

River looked away, knowing she was only going to be sick if she watched. Jonathan hesitated for a moment before cutting an incision in El’s leg, earning more screams as she bit down on the wooden spoon. River felt terrible just hearing how much pain she was in, to the point of tears starting to form in her eyes.

At some point, the pain just became too much, and El cried out for Jonathan to stop. She was a sobbing mess and could only weakly hold herself up, but she wanted to do it herself. Though she was worried, River sat back and gave her some space to give it a shot.

El focused her powers on pulling that thing out of her leg. While she wasn’t in any less pain, it seemed, she was having much more success on her own. She was exerting so much power that the glass from the display case behind them shattered. River took cover and watched as El pulled it out, throwing it as far as she could. 

Whatever that thing was, it tried to squirm away but was quickly stopped when Hopper stepped on it. When he’d arrived, River had no clue, but she felt so relieved to see him.

River ran to Hopper and gave him a big hug. “Dad!” She just barely caught the surprised look on his face. She’d never actually called him anything but Hopper, and she’d only done it by accident, but the smile on his face was unmistakable.

Hopper patted her back, equally relieved to see she was mostly fine. “Hey, sweetheart.” She finally let go of him as everyone was grouping up again. It would give El some time to rest while everyone else talked.

Now that everyone was together again, they had some time to catch up and make sure everyone was on the same page. Hopper was holding El as River leaned against him. Despite not having used her powers nearly as much as El, she felt mentally exhausted. She wondered if it was too late to return to how she felt when she was drugged up.

Mike was explaining the situation with the Mind Flayer when Lucas mentioned that the cabin got destroyed in the process. River turned to Hawthorne, a concerned look on her face. 

“Don’t worry,” he said. He let them continue their story as he quietly reassured her. “Not much happened on my end. I wasn’t very useful because I freaked out too much.” She could tell he wasn’t very proud of it, but she wrapped her arm around him, silently letting him know that it was okay.

She tried to tune back in as they explained their plan, or at least what they hoped would work. Closing the gate had been hard for El to do the last time, so she hoped they all knew what they were doing. By that time, Murray came back with some papers. Hopper left El to River and Hawthorne while they worked out their plan, and Max joined them to keep El company.

“You okay?” River asked, holding El close. “I can’t imagine how much that must have hurt.”

El nodded. “A lot,” she said.

“When this is all over, you deserve some rest. And maybe I’ll make your favorite triple decker Eggo extravaganza.” That at least earned a hopeful smile. “Sounds nice, huh?”

El grinned weakly and nodded, though she looked excited despite her exhaustion. River gave her a light pat on the back. As soon as Dustin explained their new plan to get to Cerebro, she handed her over to Hawthorne, wishing them both luck. 

Apparently, they were borrowing the car Hopper had been using, which she really wasn’t going to question. 

“Now this - this is what I’m talking about,” Steve exclaimed upon finding the car outside the mall.

Robin raised an eyebrow. “Toddfather?”

“Oh, screw Todd. Steve’s her daddy now.”

River almost wished she hadn’t heard that, but it was too late now. “Did you really just call yourself daddy?” She sighed and shook her head, hopping into the car.

“Alright, where are we going?”

“Weathertop,” Dustin said. 

“Weather-what?”

“Just drive!”

“Okay! Jesus.”

Steve drove away from the mall, following whatever directions Dustin was giving him. They’d made it pretty far from Starcourt when River started to wonder just how far out they needed to be. Hopefully Hopper and the others gave them enough time, because they were taking longer than she’d hoped.

“How far is this place, man?” Steve asked, equally worried.

“Relax, we’re almost there,” Dustin promised. 

Robin waited for them to calm down before she asked, “Suzie must be pretty special, huh? I mean, if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?”

“I mean, no one’s scientifically perfect, but Suzie’s as close to being perfect as any human could possibly be.”

“She sounds made up to me,” Erica said. “She sound made up to you?”

Steve paused, unsure what to even say.

“Why are you hesitating, Steve?”

“I’m - I’m not! I’m not!” he exclaimed. “I think she sounds real. You know, totally, absolutely real.”

River wasn’t buying it, so she could imagine Dustin wasn’t either. He didn’t argue, though, and instead told Steve to turn. River braced herself as they crashed through the fence, driving through the field and up a hill. 

“We’re not gonna make it,” Robin said.

Steve persisted anyways, though the car got stuck part way up the hill. The more he stepped on the gas, the worse he was making it. They had to get out and walk the rest of the way up, or they’d never make it in time.

Thankfully, Cerebro was waiting at the top, already turned on and ready for them to use. Dustin called in to help Hopper and his group - or Bald Eagle, as Dustin decided to refer to them - navigate through the base. He’d done a fairly good job of remembering the layout with Erica’s help.

As he was helping Murray through the vents, River noticed Steve wander off, and she got up to see what was wrong. “Hey, guys?” he interrupted. It was hard to miss the flashing coming from Starcourt, which couldn’t have been good at all. They probably needed help.

Dustin immediately tried to get a hold of everyone at Starcourt, but there was no response other than the harrowing roar that was unmistakably the Mind Flayer. Clearly, no one was going to answer. 

Steve rushed down the hill, presumably to help, and River chased after him. There was no way she’d let him go without her. Dustin tossed Robin a walkie-talkie as Steve told him, Annie, and Erica to stay put and man the radio.

As soon as they hopped back in the car, Steve started it up, though it was still pretty stuck. He cursed under his breath and tried to get it out, but the car wasn’t budging. 

“Hold on, let me try,” River insisted. She tried to focus on the car, using her powers to move them back just enough. It took a little longer than she’d hoped, but it worked. She cheered and scrambled back into her seat as Steve took off, hurrying towards the mall. Her attempt had been just a bit straining, but thankfully not much, and River wiped at the blood trickling from her nose. 

Despite how far away they were, they must have made record time. Billy’s car was heading right towards everyone when Steve gunned it, crashing right into the car and sending it veering in the other direction.

River held on tightly until they came to a stop. “Holy shit.”

“Are you guys okay?” Steve asked.

Robin turned to him. “Ask me tomorrow?”

“Yeah, I think I’m ready for the world’s longest nap,” River said. She paused when the Mind Flayer roared, crawling along the mall roof. Jonathan’s car pulled up beside them, and they jumped in the back, not wanting to waste any time with a monster coming after them. Once everyone was mostly seated, Jonathan drove off as quickly as possible.

While they were being chased by the Mind Flayer, Dustin’s voice came in through the walkie-talkie in Robin’s hands, followed by another voice. “Suzie,” they realized immediately.

River listened as Dustin tried to ask Suzie for Planck’s constant, though she didn’t give in so quickly. There was some back and forth before the craziest thing happened. Dustin started singing. It was confusing, but certainly not the weirdest thing she’d experienced today. She shared a confused look with Steve and Robin. 

At least Dustin finally got the answer from Suzie as soon as their little musical number was done with. Not that River was complaining.

Something must have happened, because the Mind Flayer suddenly stopped chasing after them and turned around. Jonathan made a sharp turn and headed back to the mall. River tired to hold on as they raced back.

Billy wasn’t where they’d left him, which must have been why the Mind Flayer turned back. They all worked together as soon as they made it back to Starcourt, taking all of Lucas’s fireworks and tying them together. The new plan was for everyone to use the fireworks in the hopes it would at least distract the Mind Flayer long enough. Meanwhile, River was supposed to help their efforts with her powers. It had been Lucas’s call; no one argued seeing as it was the best plan they had right now.

Just as they were finishing, Steve pulled River away from the others. “Hey, be careful in there, okay? Don’t wear yourself out.” They’d seen what a toll it had taken on El, and even though she hadn’t strained herself as much, it could easily happen to her.

“I will,” River promised. “You too.”

This might be the end of it, really. They were headed right into danger again, and it could go bad so easily. River didn’t have time to react much before Steve pulled her close, pressing his lips against hers. She was caught by surprise but gave in all too willingly, her fingers tangled in his hair. If she thought about it too long, she knew she’d be grossed out.

“What happened to waiting?” she teased, pulling away long enough to look up at him. 

Steve chuckled and shrugged. “Just in case something happens, you know?” Neither of them even tried to lie. Something bad could happen at any moment, and they knew that. They broke away and finally rejoined the other as they finished with the fireworks.

River had almost forgotten Rex was with them. The last thing she wanted was for him to get in the middle of everything and get hurt. Jonathan let her keep him in his car for a bit. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to leave him for long, but she made sure he was calm and as comfortable as a dog could be in a car by himself. “I’ll be back, okay, buddy? I won’t be long.” Rex licked her hand and sat in the backseat obediently. She left him, as hesitant as she was, and went to help put their plan into action.

By the time they made it back inside, the Mind Flayer was already there. They grouped up on the second floor, throwing the fireworks right at it. They seemed to be working, at least long enough to keep it occupied. They were quickly running out of ammo, though, and there was only so much they could do. River tried to use her powers to help out, as they planned, but it wasn’t so easy with how worn out she felt. It had been the longest, maybe even craziest, day of her life, and she was having a hard time being of any use. She’d been positioned much closer to the Mind Flayer than everyone else, using her powers to throw anything and everything she could, but it was barely slowing it down at all. 

For just a moment, she’d been distracted when she caught Billy with El. Her initial reaction was to help, but in that split second of letting her guard down, she’d been knocked over by the Mind Flayer, sending her skidding across the floor. She tried to sit up but found that the movement caused her way too much pain. Particularly in her arm. God, she’d broken it. Great.

Hawthorne rushed over as soon as he saw her go flying. “Shit, are you, okay?” She nodded, though he could tell that wasn’t true at all. When she tried to sit up, a sharp pain ran up her arm again, confirming her suspicions There was no way she could do anything more in this state.

She suddenly had an idea. Clearly, she wasn’t going to be much help with how tired she was, but maybe he could help.

“Thorny, I need you to do me a favor,” she said. 

“Yeah, what is it?”

River held her hand out to him. “I'm in way too much pain to focus and help anyone anymore, but maybe you can use my powers,” she explained.

“What? No, I can’t-”

“Yes, you can,” she insisted. “I’m obviously not going to force you, but I trust you, okay? If something happens, if it doesn’t wear off, I’m not gonna blame you. But that won’t happen, got it?"

He hesitated, but seemed to get that it could be helpful. “Alright.” He took her hand, focusing as he drained whatever powers she had. River felt dizzy for a moment before passing out right in his arms, the ruckus of the fight quickly fading to silence.


	10. Chapter 10

There was a split second where Hawthorne still hadn’t felt the effects of River’s powers hit him yet. But the moment it kicked in, he felt like he had a splitting headache. He wasn’t used to it, of course. Before now, he’d never had to handle the kind of powers his sister had. And with the chaos going on around them, he could hear everyone’s thoughts hitting him constantly. He couldn’t even pick anything out of the noise, which made it worse. 

Hawthorne tried as hard as he could to block it out and drag River away to safety. By now, they were out of fireworks and had nothing else to defend themselves. Save for Hawthorne, though he knew he’d only be able to do so much when he couldn’t totally control these new powers right off the bat. His main concern, though, was keeping River safe now that she was unconscious. It was overwhelming, especially with El in trouble. 

From a safer spot on the upper level, close enough to everyone else if they needed help, he could see Billy hunched over El. Something was clearly happening, and he knew better than to interfere, but he kept an eye on them just in case Billy tried anything.

Any attack the Mind Flayer threw at them, he fended off the best he could. While he had a decent idea of River's powers, he still wasn't quite sure how she could handle them so well. But he was slowly getting the hang of it. Admittedly, if you took away the telepathy part, he was enjoying this. For once, he was actually being of some use and not totally wanting to run away. Something about it gave Hawthorne just enough confidence to keep up the defense. With no other plans and their firework supply depleted, he had to be brave long enough in the hopes that El might be okay. And since he could tell El was using her powers to try breaking Billy from his possession, he thought interfering might be a bad move.

To his amazement, though, Billy stood, seemingly snapping out of whatever hold the Mind Flayer had on him. Not far from them, Max and Mike came running in. Hawthorne was relieved to see them. In the chaos, they hadn’t had time to look for them, so it saved him some stress. He spotted a few injuries on both of them, but they weren’t dead, and that might as well be a win for them.

Hawthorne handed River over to Steve as he rushed over to the rail, watching as Billy fended off the Mind Flayer. That was the last thing he’d expected to see tonight, but he supposed stranger things had happened. Though Hawthorne hated Billy, he was relieved to see that El was fine and out of harm’s way because of him. That was all that really mattered to him. 

Even from the other side of the room, it was easy to sense Max’s distress as it became clear Billy wasn’t making it out of this alive. The Mind Flayer had him caught as he took one final hit straight to the chest. Knowing River would be safe here with Steve and Robin, he raced down to the lower level of the mall. He ran as quick as he could, and he could already hear Max’s thoughts. They were a mix of concern, confusion, grief, and anger. He wasn’t even sure _she_ knew what she was feeling. 

The Mind Flayer collapsed as Hawthorne reached Max, who collapsed in El’s arms. He knelt down and pulled them both close so they wouldn’t have to see Billy’s lifeless body splayed on the floor. Both girls were sobbing messes, but he didn’t mind at all. They’d been through so much, and they deserved to let it out. 

He only tried to get them standing when a hoard of soldiers charged in, hurrying them outside to safety. Outside, it was raining, and the fluorescent lights of the Starcourt sign painted the asphalt with bright pinks and blues. Hawthorne tried to focus on small details like that to keep himself grounded. He was a little better at drowning out the thoughts of everyone around him enough to keep his head from pounding. 

Ambulances and firetrucks waited outside. They were given medical attention while the soldiers and Dr. Owens did a sweep of the building. Hawthorne wasn’t too badly injured, all things considered. Only drained and ready for a nap. He wiped at the blood dripping from his nose as a paramedic looked him over. 

It was hard to think he’d made it through another world-ending catastrophe when he’d been so convinced the first time was pure luck. Maybe he had it in him after all. Hawthorne kept an eye out for Joyce and Hopper, hoping they both made it out just fine. Clearly they’d been able to close the gate if the Mind Flayer had gone down, but there was still worry lingering in the back of his mind. Anything could have happened to them after closing it.

Once Hawthorne was patched up, he went to check on El. He knew she’d probably been the most physically and mentally taxed of them all. But she seemed okay. As okay as she could be, anyways. 

Thankfully, Hawthorne spotted Joyce coming out of Starcourt. She was greeted by Will rushing over to hug her. Though she seemed relieved to see her son, something was wrong. Even without River’s powers, he could sense it. For just a moment, he let down the mental walls he’d put up in the hopes of figuring out what was troubling her. He mostly caught glimpses of images, probably her memories as she recalled what happened in the base, but he got the gist. Hawthorne wished he hadn’t looked because his anxiety took over the moment he realized what was wrong.

Hopper was gone.

All the hope he had of everything going back to normal was instantly crushed. Grief settled in, like he’d been punched in the gut. Which might have been preferable to this. This was so much worse. 

Hawthorne caught Joyce’s gaze for a second, and she gave him an apologetic look. One that made his heart ache and twist. In that one look, he could tell she was just as grief-stricken as him.

It wasn’t long before River came to, and his hold on her powers finally gave. She had them back, and it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. How she controlled that much power was beyond him. For once, though, he was glad he didn’t have to deal with that everyday. 

Steve was sitting with River in an ambulance, a shock blanket wrapped around them as she was getting her arm set in a sling for now. Though she was clearly still in pain, she looked relieved to be outside. Though he didn’t want to ruin that, Hawthorne knew he had to tell her about Hopper. Someone had to. 

Hawthorne tried not to let his grief show as he walked over. River’s arm was a bit swollen, but it looked better than he thought it would. “How’s your arm doing?” he asked.

“Not too bad,” she said. “Could be a lot worse.”

He wasn’t sure if it was because she had her powers back or if she just knew him that well, but her brows furrowed, and she seemed to sense something was off. She looked him over, probably checking for injuries, before finally asking, “What happened?”

Hawthorne opened his mouth to speak, but it took him a few tries before he could say anything. He was worried about how horribly she was likely to take it.

“Hopper didn’t come back,” he finally said. As he expected, River’s entire demeanor shifted drastically. Before, she’d at least appeared to have some hope, but now that was gone. 

“What do you mean?” He was sure she knew the answer, but he’d expected her denial.

“He’s gone. Joyce came back, Murray came back, but no Hopper.” It felt way too real the more he had to say it.

River finally seemed to be processing the weight of the reality. Tears welled up in her eyes, and his heart sunk. Hawthorne hated to see her like this, but he knew he’d done the right thing by telling her. She curled up into Steve’s side, and he took that as his cue to let her be. 

Despite the loss tonight brought, everyone else was intact physically, if not mentally. Hawthorne let Rex out of Jonathan’s car. The poor dog mostly seemed shaken by all the noise and people, but he was otherwise okay. Naturally, though, his instinct seemed to be checking on River, because he found her rather quickly. Noticing her saddened state, Rex hopped up with some help and curled up next to River. Hawthorne knew she needed the comfort, so he let Rex stay with her. Tonight felt like the longest night of his life.

* * *

Joyce let Hawthorne stay at the Byers house for the night since the rest of the kids were staying. Besides, River took Rex and went with Steve, and he wouldn’t be able to sleep in the cabin alone. He’d never sleep if he did. And he was sure El shared the same sentiment. Being around their friends might be for the best. 

Nancy even stayed, which he’d been hoping for honestly. He was glad to see her and Jonathan were doing better. It gave him some peace of mind among everything else that was going horribly wrong in his life. 

The kids were working out sleeping arrangements, though they all seemed content to sleep in a pile to keep each other close and comforted. Hawthorne would have been fine taking the couch for himself, but Jonathan insisted he join him and Nancy in his room. It was probably for the best. He was a tall guy, and curling up on the couch wouldn’t have been comfortable. 

Jonathan’s bed was big enough for the three of them when they piled together. Hawthorne had Nancy laying on his chest and his arm wrapped around Jonathan as he held him close. He felt much better being able to hold them. It grounded him, and he knew they were safe now. 

Surprisingly, Nancy was the first to pass out, though neither of them blamed her. That left Hawthorne and Jonathan, who tried to keep their voices low for her sake. 

“How are you feeling?” Jonathan asked, looking up at him with concern in his eyes. 

Hawthorne didn’t want to lie to him. He felt awful. “Tired,” he answered. “But I don’t think I’ll be getting much sleep after this.” He didn’t think he really could when his mind kept drifting back to what he’d seen from Joyce.

“That’s okay. You lost your dad today. I don’t think anyone will blame you for feeling like shit for a while.” Coming from Jonathan, it was oddly reassuring. He always had a way of making Hawthorne feel like the world wasn’t totally against him. 

Though he didn’t feel his best, it was enough for him knowing that he had both of them to help him through his grief. He kissed Jonathan’s forehead and relaxed for now. Even from here, Hawthorne could just make out the kids hushed voices, clearly unable to sleep just as much as him. It comforted him knowing he wasn’t alone. Especially once Jonathan fell asleep, his breath becoming even and tension leaving his body.

He wasn’t sure how long he was awake, but the silence, interrupted only by the occasional whisper from the kids, was starting to lull him to sleep. Though he wasn’t sure he wanted to sleep, not knowing what might await him in his dreams, Hawthorne felt himself giving in. He deserved some rest after such a long night. Tomorrow, he could worry about everything else. Even when he finally fell asleep, his protective grasp on Nancy and Jonathan didn’t loosen.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos and a comment if you like this so far! Thanks :)
> 
> Tumblr: [dungeons-and-demodogs](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/dungeons-and-demodogs)


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